How Dreams Connect Us
by sunshine6258
Summary: AU Roswell Redone. Same charachters CC. Dreams are the key to their past, but there is so much more behind their being on Earth than they think...Updated 2.24.2007
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I'm a fanfic addict, and I thought after reading so many other fanfics, that I'd brave this whole writing thing myself. Since I love Roswell, it seemed only natural to begin with a Roswell fanfic. I don't own the main premise of the story or the characters of course…but am only borrowing them to tell a new spin on an old tale. Let me know what you think, but please be nice. This is my very first fanfic! ) It will focus on all the main characters…maybe a few new ones,but I haven't completely decided yet. I love C/C but always thought Tess got the short end of the stick after she was thrown into the series, so I will be starting with her meeting. Some things will be the same, but a lot of the story will be different. You other Roswell fanfic addicts will just have to wait and see what changes are made! All suggestions are welcome of course, but I will only use the ones I can fit into my main idea. Happy reading! **ANW**

**_How Dreams Connect Us_**

**Chapter 1**

Isabel and Alex were seated at their usual table in the quad. The sun was bright that day, and they were grateful for the shade the building provided them.

"What are you eating Alex?" Isabel stated with one eyebrow raised.

"What, you don't like cream cheese wrapped up in turkey slices?" Alex replied.

"Umm…no. I like my meats and cheeses between bread slices, if you don't mind…and for that matter jalapeno cheddar is the only way to go." she stated with a smirk on her face.

Alex stuck his tongue out at that remark, and Isabel laughed quietly to herself. Alex was munching down like there was no tomorrow, and she couldn't help but feel warm when she looked at him, in spite of his quirky ways. She started scanning the quad to see if any of her friends were around, and noticed a girl walking towards them with a bemused expression.

"Alex, careful…I think someone is watching you eat!…" Isabel thought to herself that she had seen this girl in her English class earlier that day.

He looked up, with a little cream cheese on his lip, and hastily wiped it away. Thinking that she was coming over to talk to him and, with an inner smile, wondering why she could possibly be doing that; he thought quick and held up his right hand as if to stop her in her tracks and said "Sorry, there simply is not enough cream cheese to share with everyone!"

This elicited a roll of they eyes from Isabel, and then a blush crept up her neck as this was her first introduction to a new person, and Alex was talking about cheese!

The trim girl with blonde curls, and clear blue eyes quickly replied though, and stated "No, thanks! I prefer my cheese between two slices of bread…and for that matter, jalapeno cheddar is much better".

Isabel smiled and was surprised at her quick comeback and said "Funny, I was just telling him something along those same lines. Pay no attention to my favorite cheese head, he's harmless."

The new girl laughed at that and said "Well, that sure was a great ice breaker, huh?"

Isabel chuckled quietly and replied, "Uh, huh. You're new here right? I think I've seen you in one of my classes."

The new girls blue eyes lit up her whole face, as she realized that Isabel had indeed noticed her before this meeting.

"Yeah, I have 1st period English with you…Mrs. Hamilton, right?"

Isabel replied, "Yeah, that's right. She's a really good teacher, you will like her. By the way, I'm Isabel, and this cheese head's name is Alex."

The new girl smiled warmly, and extended her hand to shake both of their hands "It's very nice to meet you both…and my name is Tess."

Isabel smiled even bigger at Tess's bright personality, and felt this girl might be her answer to some much needed girl talk. "Tess, won't you sit with us?"

Tess quickly plopped herself down in front of Isabel, and replied "Thanks so much. It is sometimes so hard to make friends at a new school!"

Alex, intrigued by this whole exchange with a new person, looked over at Isabel like she was crazy. He thought the moment he made his first joke that Isabel would make up some excuse to leave, or give this girl the brush in some way; but she was actually warming up to her! Trying to hide his worry, he thought to him self what was Max going to say about his sister buddying up with someone not in there inner circle. Not that they were a stuck up group or anything like that…but sometimes secrecy demanded sticking to the group.

Isabel continued her conversation by saying "Well Tess, what brings you to Roswell? This isn't the kind of town you usually relocate too…you usually have to grow up here."

Tess flipped her hair back over her shoulder, and replied "Well, actually I don't know."

Alex gave her a confused look, and decided to break into the conversation "What do you mean you don't know?"

Tess sighed and replied "Well, I don't usually like to bring this up, but I'm a foster kid. I have never been with any foster family for more that a year or two at a time so I never really got to close to any of them. What I don't understand, is I've always had a foster family in Albuquerque, but somehow my new family is here in Roswell. I'm really not complaining though, because my new brother is hot!"

Alex almost choked on a turkey roll when he heard that last comment, and Isabel just chuckled to herself.

"I know all the eligible men in this school, who is this "hot" brother of yours?" Isabel said with raised eyebrows.

"Kyle is his name…" Isabel was just taking a sip of her drink as Tess made this last statement, and now she almost choked.

She was thinking to herself that she only knew one Kyle at Roswell High. Tess continued "…and as you may have guessed, since his father is the Sheriff, Jim Valenti is my foster father."

Isabel started to clear her throat, and Tess was patting her back helpfully. Alex thought quickly to himself, what the heck is that about? The sheriff, with all his knowledge of the pod squad, and the need for secrecy, went and decided to become a foster father? Another thought went through Alex's mind…Jim was not even married! This was insane! How did he plan to pull this one off ? For that matter, why was he even doing this?

Tess felt the tension build around her for a split second, then relaxed as Isabel seemed to be relaxing as well. Isabel didn't know why, but she felt so at ease with this girl. When she touched her back to help her clear her throat she felt something familiar about her. No one ever made her feel that way except Max or Michael. She didn't have time to ponder that feeling further as Alex all of a sudden looked like he had eaten some bad cheese. He quickly realized his internal thoughts were having him make a face, and he stood up.

"I think I'm not feeling to well…must be my lunch is not agreeing with me." He said.

Tess and Isabel smiled and said in unison "I told you Cheddar is better!" Then they both burst out laughing. Isabel thought it was nice to have someone think the way she did, and Tess was easy to be around. She knew she had found a new friend.

Alex, on the other hand, looked on and inwardly gave a big sigh. Izzy was making a new friend, and he hadn't had enough time with her yet! Tess and Izzy were already talking animatedly like old friends, and since Alex had practically announced his trip to the bathroom, they seemed to have forgotten he was there.

"Great, just great!" Alex thought to himself. "I'm sure Izzy was going to figure out any day now about me wanting to be more than "just friends" with her, and now she'll have someone else occupying her time!" Feeling neglected, and his presence already forgotten, Alex quietly made his way into the cafeteria. Lunch was only half over, and he figured he'd try and find Liz or Maria.

"Alex, over here!" Maria called to him.

Maria looked cute today! She was wearing just the right amount of make up to not look made up, but with really glossy lip gloss, a black and red plaid mini skirt, and a white collared shirt with black knee boots. She must be desperate to catch Michael's attention today, though she'd never admit to it. "Hey Maria, why are you so gussied up, huh?"

Maria punched him in the arm, smiled, and stated conspiratorially "I'll never tell!" Then she continued in her regular voice "No, I just felt like dressing up today. Can't a girl dress nice for herself? If I'm not going to boost my self esteem, who is? I mean, you are always over there with Isabel, totally engrossed in her…" she was pointing in the direction of the table Alex just left when she caught site of Tess. "…and yes I know I'm babbling, but who is that talking to Isabel?"

Alex just sighed, and said "That is the reason Isabel will never find out how I feel about her. If it's not one Czech crisis it's something else."

Maria, just shook her head, and countered with "Does Max know about Isabel making nice with a "new" person? We just discussed this at our last little gathering and got that whole 'I don't want us making friend's outside of our group, it's too dangerous' speech again."

Alex just shrugged his shoulders and replied "Yeah, I know, but Izzy seems to really like this girl. They even had a moment where the same phrase popped out of both of their mouths!"

"Really?" Maria replied. "For that to happen is really…."

"Really what?" Liz had just walked up and had caught the tail end of Maria's comment. "What are you guys talking about?"

Alex just shifted from foot to foot as this new information was quickly making a beeline for Max. Once Liz knew, Max was sure to follow. He didn't want Max getting mad at Izzy for trying to make a new friend, even though it's what neither he nor Max would want.

"Well, we were just talking about…" and Liz's eyes followed Maria's pointed finger.

"Is that Isabel talking to another girl, and looking like she's really enjoying herself? Liz exclaimed.

Alex gave his 5th sigh for the day and replied "Yeah, that's the start of Izzy drawing away from me."

"Oh Alex, stop being so dramatic, she'll come around! She'd have to be totally blind to not snatch you up one day. What is Max going to think about this though. Have you guys thought of that?"

Alex replied "Yeah, I have, but I don't think it's even crossed her mind. They seem to be having to much fun talking to each other for Izzy to remember that her brother might just have a problem with a new friend."

At that moment, Isabel with her face all flushed, walked up and joined the group. "Hey Guys, Alex are you feeling better?"

Alex just stared at her with his mouth slightly ajar, thinking to himself "she cares, she actually cares.." then shook his head and replied "Yeah, I'm fine, I just needed to walk it off I guess."

Isabel looked relieved and turned to the other two girls "Did you see that blonde with the curly hair I was just talking to?"

Maria and Liz replied in unison, "Yeeees."

"Well, you guys are never going to believe what she just told me." Isabel lowered her voice and continued "She said she's seen me in her dreams."


	2. Chapter 2

I have a few chapters written, so here come another one. This chapter explains alot of how this version of the story goes.Please review! ) **ANW**

**Chapter 2**

"She's seen you in her dreams?" Liz whispered back.

Isabel lowered her head further and said "Yeah, and not only me, but Max and Michael too."

This was too much information for Liz to handle. She closed her mouth, which had been hanging open, and looked away briefly trying to collect her thoughts.

Given the pause in the conversation, Maria broke in "Are you pulling our leg? If this is a joke, I'm not laughing."

Isabel pulled Maria's arm so she came could look her directly in the eyes "No Maria, I'm not joking, I'm dead serious."

After hearing Izzy's first statement of Tess seeing her in her dreams, Alex had been holding his breath, and he didn't even realize it! He let it out then, and touched Izzy's arm. "You have to tell Max and Michael."

Isabel agreed and they all planned to meet later at the Crashdown, the restaurant Liz's parent's owned. Isabel, her mind still giddy with future possibilities, hurried down the hallway and let herself into the eraser room. After quietly closing the door, she moved to the side and slowly slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. She knew she was unlikely to be disturbed here since lunch would be over in five minutes and no one would go in during class. She let her thoughts drift back to the beginning of her memories, turning over facts in her head.

Up until this point Max, Michael, and her knew their dreams held serious weight. Since they were children, their dreams have been the key to who they are. They all knew they were different, from the moment of their first memory, they just had the feeling that they were not supposed to be here. They were supposed to be somewhere else, far away. In their dreams, they had slowly began to understand more about where they were from, but they still had no idea why they were on Earth and not there….wherever that other place was.

As they developed, instinctively they kept their growing abilities a secret. Max could heal, Michael could cause objects to be destroyed, and Isabel could enter other's dreams at night. All three of them had the ability to manipulate molecular structure as well and could turn things like notebook paper into money, and Ketchup into Mustard.

Max and Isabel were adopted as young children into a loving home by Mr. and Mrs. Evans. They were found wandering along the side of the road when they were around 5, but they had no memory of anything before that. Since the Evans found them, they decided to adopt them; and the Roswell Adoption Agency was grateful, as it was very hard to place children above the age of 3 into permanent homes. Collectively, when all three were picked up, they couldn't even speak yet.

Michael was found wandering as well by a kind sheriff; Jim Valenti was his name. He took him to the Roswell Child Protective Services, and since he could not speak to tell him where he was from, he went straight into foster care. The day the Sheriff took Michael over to his new foster dad Hank and his foster mom Harriet, Michael had a death grip on his hand. The Sheriff had done a background investigation on them though and was satisfied that this would be a good home for him. Michael was happy there, and Hank was a good dad for about 6 months of Michael's life. After Hank's wife died after having a Stroke though, Hank started to drink, and pretty much stayed drunk the next ten years of Michael's life. His temper would flare at the slightest detail and Michael took the brunt of his anger a lot of the time. Hence, Michael's difficult personality at times. He'd been through a lot.

They progressed in academics at much the same pace, and had no difficulty learning to speak. Much to their teachers surprise, they graduated from Kindergarten to 1st grade with no problems along with the rest of their class. When they were in the 2nd grade, all three happened to be in the same art class. That day the teacher had asked the class to draw a picture of their favorite dream, using as many colors as they could, and making it as life like as possible. For a seven year old, this was a magnificent feat. The three of them worked on opposite ends of the room, a slight independent streak running through them all. When the teacher gathered all the drawings up, they were posted on the classroom wall for all to see. Strangely, three pictures looked almost identical. They were simply beautiful pictures of a place with blue grass, and flowing hills. Magnificent Brown and Green trees, or what looked like trees, and clear yellow lakes. A slightly purple sky with two burnt red suns, shined down from the top of the picture. There were slight variations between the pictures, but the resemblance was uncanny. The teacher had the three students come forward who had drawn the pictures and asked them who had drawn the first, and why had two of them copied. They insisted that they had not copied, but since they were only seven, the teacher assumed they were lying.

The three of them were separated from the rest of the class that day, and sat in a corner by themselves to "think about why it was not ok to lie." Instead, Isabel and Max spoke in hushed tones with Michael, discussing their common dream. They found that they had had many similar dreams, each not seeing each other in them. They always saw themselves in their dreams though, as if remembering another life. Even at that tender age of seven, they seemed to have a wisdom beyond their years; and that's when they agreed they were from that other world, and became inseparable from that day forward.

Isabel recapped all of this in her mind, and could not believe that there was someone else! Someone else from their world! There dreams were similar, but every dream from a separate person revealed something new. Would this new person show them more into their past? They had never let anyone come into their group, to protect their secret, until last year. The year her brother finally got a chance to prove his love to a girl. A girl that he had never talked to, but had wished he could. Even though the three of them had always agreed not to ever let anyone in on their secret, understanding the danger it would bring, Max had to do this. Later she and Michael understood, and things progressed from there.

In a booth the three of them sat at the Crashdown Café. Max was staring at Liz, a waitress in her parent's restaurant. Suddenly, an argument broke out in the front of the café. Someone pulled a gun and before anyone knew what was happening, it went off. Liz was standing right by the counter talking to the Sheriff's son Kyle and had just turned her back to him. When the bullet hit Liz in the stomach, it went through her like a knife, and struck Kyle in the same place it struck her. Liz fell back and landed on him. Just at that moment, the Sheriff ran into the café having seen Liz fall on top of Kyle. Max did not see him, however, he only saw the love of his life on the ground bleeding. Before he thought another coherent though, he was up and out of his seat, and down on his knees beside them both. He put his hand on her stomach and asked her to look at him. She did, and Max connected with her. Quickly healing her he eased her off of Kyle. Kyle was fading fast, and Max broke a bottle of Ketchup and handed it to Liz. She held it in dumfounded silence for the next 3 seconds it took to heal Kyle. Snapping out of her daze, and automatically understanding what she wanted him to do, she poured some of the bottle on Kyle and the rest on herself. The next moment the Sheriff was on them. He grabbed Max by the shoulder and herded the three of them to the back alley outside of the restaurant. Max told Isabel later exactly what had happened. After the sheriff closed the door behind them, he leaned against it and had his right hand pressed to his forehead. He whispered to Max if he had just witnessed what he though he had. Max simply stated, to please not tell anyone what he had seen. The next instant the Sheriff was hugging his son like there was no tomorrow and stumbling through a thank you for saving his son, and Liz from certain death, and told Max he had nothing to fear from him…ever. They had no idea of how the were going to explain their sudden disappearance, but walked back in the way they had left. It turned out, they never even needed to worry.

As soon as Max had left our booth, Isabel had quickly gave a big moan/scream and made a dramatic swoop out of the booth as well. Drawing all attention to herself, she fell to the ground; slightly to the left, and in front, of where Max, Liz, and Kyle were. She doubled over, as if in great pain, and curled into a fetal position. A crowd quickly gathered around her, and by that time the Sheriff had already herded everyone else out. Someone yelled for a doctor, thinking she had been shot. A man ran in from the sidewalk, claiming he was a doctor, and made his way over to her. As soon as she felt his hands on her, trying to pry her out of the position she was curled up in, she straightened out and began coughing. She tried her best to look like she was about to throw up, and got up and ran for the bathroom. Everyone was so dumbfounded by her act that they were completely distracted. After she came out of the bathroom and told everyone that her stomach had cramped up due to fear and to much greasy food, they knew she had not been shot, and could not figure out where the bullet had landed. As the Sheriff and the others were walking in the back door, she was walking back to them. She hurriedly told Max what she did, and Max told her what the Sheriff said. Kyle and Liz, still dazed from the whole ordeal were standing like zombies. Somehow, the Sheriff convinced them to act like Liz jumped back startled from the gunshot and fell on Kyle, taking the ketchup bottle with her and breaking it; spilling it on herself and then on Kyle when she rolled off of him. Then the Sheriff stated that he had taken them all to the back to get away from the commotion and check for injuries. Miraculously, everyone seemed to buy that story!

From then on things changed between them all. The Sheriff, after a lengthy discussion, became their number one backer, and protector. Kyle didn't really like Max before that, but learned to be his friend. Maria and Alex found out from Liz at different times, and were both sworn to secrecy. Once the two of them found out, there was some ill feelings between Liz, Michael and Isabel. Eventually they relented, as Max trusted Liz, and they trusted Max. Plus Max had seen into Liz's soul before. Liz and Max became inseparable after that, something happening between them when they connected for her healing. They just automatically understood how the other thought and also found out they had both liked each other for a long time with neither of them being brave enough to voice it. The three aliens dreams continued, but much more infrequently. The still worried about someone finding out their secret, but they allowed themselves to lead normal lives, growing closer to their new human friends.

Now…now they had met someone who was like them, and it couldn't help but stir up old feelings and bring up new questions. How many were out their like them? Would this girl reveal to them new information? Could she be the key? So many questions…

All of a sudden, the door swung open to the eraser room and Max was standing in the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Max walked in and shut the door quietly behind him.

Isabel thought to herself "Man, have I been in here an hour already?"

"Isabel, where have you been? You never made it to class last period, and one of the girls in there said she saw you slip in here before the bell rang. She was telling a few people around her she was sure you were meeting 'that weird guy Alex' in here or something. What's going on?"

Isabel shakily stood up, her left leg kind of cramped from the way she was sitting. "Gosh Max, do I have to tell you where I am every minute of the day? I mean what I do in my personal time is my business you know!" Isabel snapped.

Max took a small step back as though stung and replied "I'm sorry, you're right. I was just worried is all."

Of course then Isabel felt bad for over reacting. She rolled her eyes and sighed trying to reign in her feelings from getting mad so suddenly and replied "It's ok, I'm just kind of feeling very anxious right now. Something happened Max; something that could possibly change a lot of things. It's nothing bad, I think, but I need to tell you when Michael is present too."

Max just stood there with his arms crossed across his chest and looked interested. Then he said "Why can't you just tell me now Iz? I thought we had no secrets from each other."

Isabel stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder "Max, this is something that concerns all of us and our otherworldly status, and I need to tell both of you at the same time. Please just be patient with me for once."

Max took her hand off of his shoulder and squeezed it. "Ok Iz, I'll wait till later…but you better not hold out on me then…" he leaned in a little closer and spoke in a softer tone "…especially if this concerns our otherworldly status."

Isabel smiled and gave a sigh of relief at that and replied "Good, and thank you. You are never going to believe what I have to tell you..."

Max just chuckled and muttered under his breath "I'm sure I will."

At 8:30 that evening, Isabel and Max parked their Jeep in front of the Crashdown, and got out. Isabel practically jumped from the car, while Max exited like he normally did-calmly and in control. The bell jingled on the front entrance door as they both walked into the restaurant. Isabel saw Alex parked on a bar stool and she slid into the stool next to him. Max followed her lead, and sat down on the other side of her. They knew they were waiting for closing time which was in thirty minutes. Isabel was so excited she was positively spinning inside. She ordered an ice water with a slice of lemon to avoid any caffeine which would just make her more jumpy.

Liz saw them walk in, and brought Max a Cherry Coke, knowing that's what he would order anyway. "Hey Max, long time no see." She quickly leaned over the counter when she set down his drink, and stole a quick kiss. "I missed you…" her words leaving much unsaid.

"Oh, bleh, get a room you two." Isabel stated with her usual grimace when they made goo goo eyes at each other. "Some of us want to keep our dinner in our stomach."

"You're just jealous, Iz…" Max replied. Then he leaned over so only his sister could hear, "…you really should give Alex a chance you know…"

This elicited a glare from Isabel, and her tongue stuck out at him. Max could swear he saw a slight blush rise on her cheeks though.

Just then Maria paraded up with her crazy antenna's from her waitress outfit at an awkward angle. "Hey, if you guys want anything off of the grill, speak now or forever hold your peace!"

Michael yelled from the kitchen, "Unless you want a grilled cheese, you are SOL, the grill is almost cool. Order some dessert or something!"

Max held up his hand, and Isabel just smiled to herself. Max said "That's ok, we already ate at home. Thanks anyway."

Maria just sighed, stuck her pencil behind her ear and said with both eyebrows raised, "No matter, I need time to clean up before our little meeting anyway."

Max looked over at Isabel then and said "What, Maria knows and I don't?"

"She was there when it happened! You'll find out in a few minutes anyway. Stop worrying!" Isabel still smiled despite herself. She was surprisingly looking forward to sharing this information.

Fifteen minutes later, the Crashdown was closed up, and Maria and Liz were just wiping down the tables. Michael had already used his otherworldly abilities, discreetly of course, to clean up the kitchen.

Soon they were all seated in the booth nearest to the front of the restaurant and a table was pulled up to make enough room for everyone. They were as far away from the back as they could be, just in case Liz's parents go curious.

Everyone was quiet as no one knew who should start talking first. Of course Michael was the first to speak, as his usual impatient nature called for. "So, what's this all about Isabel?"

Isabel bit her bottom lip and looked from Michael to Max. She took a deep breath and began "Well guys, I had lunch with an interesting girl at school today..."

Michael cut her off then and said "Come on Iz! I've already heard that this has something to do with us no being from around here…what does this have to do with another human!"

"Michael, if you'd just shut up and listen, I'll tell you." Isabel snapped.

Max sighed and told Isabel "You had better hurry and spit it out sister."

"Alright, alright. Anyway, like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. I had lunch with a girl today who told me something I never thought I would hear from anyone. She told me she has seen me in her dreams."

At this, Max and Michael were both struck speechless and Isabel relished that she finally had them both at a loss for words.

"She….wh..what?" Max stammered.

"Just what I said. She said she has seen me in her dreams…and not just me, the two of you as well."

"What!" Michael exclaimed. "If this is a joke, I'm not laughing…"

Quickly extending her hand out for dramatic effect Maria added "That's what I said when I first found out."

Michael turned back to Isabel. "You are telling me that this girl…she is…"

"…like us." Max finished for him.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." Isabel replied. "Except there is something new guys Putting your shock aside for a moment; yes that means close your mouth Michael." Isabel smirked at him. "Up to this point, her dreams are unlike all of ours have been. We see only ourselves in our dreams…she has seen all of us." 


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the support Trude. It is very greatly appreciated. ) Here is a new chapter, hot off the presses!_

**Chapter 4**

Max shifted in his seat so he was sitting closer to the table and leaned against it. "Wait a second Iz, who is this new girl? Have we seen her before? Has she gone to school here long?"

Izzy held up her hand to stop further questioning. "Her name is Tess, and she just moved here from Albuquerque. She is a foster kid…just like you Michael." Michael harrumphed at that comment. "Anyway, she is, and she is living with…you are never going to believe this one…the Valenti's!"

"Oh, this just keeps getting better and better." Michael muttered.

Alex had been silent for the most part during this whole conversation, but decided to throw in his two cents here. "I know! The Sheriff, becoming a foster dad? It's just so bizarre! Not to mention that she's a fully developed teenage girl, and he has a normal teenage boy in the house!"

Isabel shot him a look, with one eyebrow raised, for that "fully developed teenage girl" comment, and Alex blushed and slouched down a little in his seat to try and escape her gaze. She was thinking of course, "had he really been looking that closely?" She shook her head a little to try and dispel the heat creeping into her cheeks, and wondered why she should care who Alex didor didn't notice.

Max then veered attention back to him with the following statement. "Guys, we are getting off point here. So she is living with the Valenti's. We can get into the details of that later." The next statement was directed to Isabel. "I want to know all you found out about her otherworldly status as it pertains to us."

"I knew you'd jump back to that soon" Isabel replied. "Well there's not much I can tell you, as she only told me enough to know she was not lying. She wants to meet with all of us at the same time for her to tell us more. She doesn't know that Liz, Alex, or Maria know anything about us though. I'm not sure if we want to let her in on that yet. We should feel her out."

Liz crossed her arms in front of her chest and replied "I don't think it matters if she knows about us. She's the one with something to hide."

"I know how you feel Liz..." Max replied "…but I don't want to take any chances with you three. You guys are just as important to us as we are to you. Just give us some time ok?"

Liz siged, "OK" and Maria looked relieved. Who knew what this new girl's abilities would be…was she the only one who was thinking about that? She had just taken a breath to voice that opinion when Michael spoke up.

"We have to be careful, who knows what this new girl could be capable of? We can protect ourselves for the most part, but you guys don't have any defenses."

Maria huffed at that and exclaimed "Don't you worry about us spaceboy, we'll be just fine." She didn't want to seem scared, even though the feeling of fear was nesting in her belly at that moment.

"Maria, you need to learn to be careful, just like the rest of us!" he retorted.

"Oh yeah, this coming from Mr."go in with guns blazing" and think later" Maria snapped.

"Ok everyone, just relax ok?." Max broke in. "I think the next thing we need to do is arrange a meeting between this new girl…Tess, is her name?"

"That's right" Isabel replied.

"Arrange a meeting, with her and the three of us. We need to be careful, plan to meet in a public place of some sort, someplace where our conversation will be lost on everyone around us though, and discuss what she knows. Agreed?"

Everyone except the humans replied back "Agreed."

The next day at school everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells. Max, Michael, and Isabel were all tense just waiting for a bomb to drop. Their nerves were on edge not being sure if Tess was friend or foe,and being pretty sure that she wasthe formerwas not helping. Underneath the nervous tension though was a growing excitement. What would they find out when they talked to her?

Liz was standing at her locker just about to lock it up when Max walked over to her.

"Hey love, how are you doing?" he said as he leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Oh, I'm ok, but I can see that you are a little jumpy. Thinking about what you will find out from Tess this evening?" Liz replied.

"Yeah" Max said as he leaned against the lockers for support. "I just can't shake the feeling that what she has to say will somehow change everything, and I can't figure out if it will be a good change or…"

Liz reached over and put her hand on his shoulder, pulling him closer "Relax Max, everything will be ok. I know you guys can handle it, and that you will be careful. Maybe you will find out the missing pieces of your life…"

Max leaned in so that he was face to face with Liz. "You are my life…"

Liz smiled and kissed him quickly and replied "You are mine too…and the rest will just be filling in the gaps."

Just then the bell rang, and the couple hurried to Biology.

Isabel was sitting in History class attempting to pay attention, but instead was playing with a lock of her hair staring absently at the clock watching the seconds tick by. Alex was staring at Isabel trying to figure out what his next move was going to be. He knew she was seriously distracted with the whole Tess situation, and thought this would be a great time to lend his support and give her some focus. Then maybe, just maybe she would start to re-evaluate their relationship and he could get to the next level with her. Pure Heaven. He scribbled a quick note on a piece of paper, and passed it over to her desk.

Isabel was brought out of her daze by Alex's note, and looked down to read it.

Dear Izzy,

I know you have a lot to deal with right now, and that you are nervous about what you are about to learn. I just wanted you to know that I think you are the strongest woman (Czech Woman ) I have ever known, and that you are going to be fine. Also, if you ever need an opinion from the outside looking in, I'm here.

Alex

Isabel quickly wrote a six word reply and handed it back with asmall smile. Alex could feel his slight blush as he unfolded the note and read "Alex, you are on the inside." The blush went from slight, to full blown heat crawling up his neck and into his hairline when he read that. "I'm on the inside?" he thought to himself. What does that mean? He knew he'd be dying with questions inside until he could talk to her later about that comment. He looked over at her and she was still smiling slightly at him. He smiled a big goofy smile in return and then she rolled her eyes and giggled quietly as to not disturb the class. She quickly schooled her features and mouthed the word LATER and he sighed. He turned around knowing he would not be paying much attention in this class today either.

At lunchtime Maria was walking around outside looking for someone to sit with. Giving up upon not finding any of her friends, and too hungry to search more, she plopped down under the welcome shade of a tree and bit into an apple. She really wanted to see Michael before his meeting with Tess tonight. She didn't trust the girl further than she could throw, but she knew she came off a little strong the day before at The Crashdown.

Just then, like a shadow, Michael popped out from behind the tree she had chosen to sit down at.

Maria gave a small shriek, and then slapped Michael on the calf. "Thanks for making me almost choke on my apple!" she snapped.

Michael just looked down at her smugly, knowing he had intentionally startled her, and thought to himself that she really was cute when smoke escaped her ears. He kneeled down and sat down next to her.

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to…" he said smiling internally.

"Fine, fine, whatever..." She said putting up her hand and effectively cutting off any more of an apology. "So, you meet with Tess tonight, huh?"

Michael crossed his arms and replied "Yeah, we decided to meet at that Carnival Grounds. You know the one that just came into town?"

Maria took another bite of her apple and replied "Uh huh, I know. The one set up on the north side of town." She took a breath and asked hesitantly, "Are you guys sure it's safe to be talking there?"

Michael just squinted his eyes at the sun and replied "It will be fine Maria, stop worrying."

Maria sighed and leaned over so that she was sitting a little closer to Michael. "You know I just want you guys to be safe, right? I know you are smart and that you would protect them and yourself if it came to that."

At this sudden weighted moment from Maria, Michael felt her heavy emotion. She was trying to hide it, but he could feel she really was concerned for him. At the same time she trusted him as a protector. He didn't even trust himself as a protector. The thought of her having so much faith in him gave him a feeling in his stomach he was not used to, but it wasn't unpleasant. He suddenly turned to her and used his thumb and pointer finger to grasp her chin andhave her look into his eyes.

"Thank you for having faith in me. It means a lot." Then as if he realized that he was acting out of character, he shuffled to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. If he didn't put them somewhere he might just grab Maria and kiss her. He had never felt so attracted to her before, but he wasn't sure how she felt about him at the moment.

Maria was trying to compute what just happened. Did Michael and her just have a moment? It was over so fast she wasn't sure. Afterwards, he jumped to his feet he mumbled to her something about having to go return a library book, but she barely registered that he had left. The feeling he left with her was so beautiful she never wanted it to end. Stonewall Michael had just bared a tiny bit of his soul to her and she was going to savor it while this moment lasted. She leaned back against the tree, while taking another bite of her apple, and thought to herself "There is still hope for us…"

Just then Liz walked up and sat down next to her. "Hey Maria, wow you look like you've just been kissed! What's up?"

"Something better,I just saw a crack into the stonewall that surrounds Michael." She replied.

Taking out a sandwich from her paper lunch bag, Liz replied "That's a first."

Still smiling blissfully Maria stated "I know! I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere with him. I wonder if this new person Tess will cloud his thinking and halt this progress. All I can say, is she better not!"

Liz swallowed the bite of sandwich she had just chewed and said "Don't worry Maria, he'll come around. Have some faith!"

"OMG, that's just what he told me!" Maria exclaimed.

"What?" Liz replied.

"That I had faith in him, and he was thanking me for it!" Maria said.

"Well there you go, you just have to have a little trust in him now."

"That's so hard sometimes…my dad really screwed up my overall trust in men…" She sighed and then said "…but today is a start!"


	5. Chapter 5

I'm glad that so far, the couple people that have reviewed have been positive. Please continue. Your support is my motivation! ) (Mony19, Trude) Here is the next chapter, enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

Tess sat in her last class for the day, staring off into space. She was chewing on the end of her pencil, and completely lost in her thoughts. She hadn't seen Isabel since 1st period, and aside from a few quick words after class stating where and when they were planning to meet tonight, she hadn't really talked to her. She hadn't seen anyone else from the group that day yet either. At lunchtime she had found Kyle, and much to his amazement, had sat and ate with him for the period.

Since Tess first walked in his front door with his father, he had been in complete awe of her. She was so perfect with those perfectly blonde curls, and her big, beautiful, blue eyes that set off her lightly tanned skin so nicely. He was a goner after his first glance. Of course, he had fought hard not to let his feelings show. What would this girl think of him if right off the bat he was all over her? (which is what he was resisting with all his might…oh Buda help!) Of course that wasn't his first impression of this situation. When his dad had come home that day and told him that he had decided to foster a girl from Albuquerque, Kyle had thought his dad had lost his mind. His dad had then explained to him the story of Michael's past and how Jim had always felt responsible for the situation. Jim had tried to have Michael moved to a different home when he was young, but there was never enough evidence of abuse to warrant a foster family change. When a friend of his at the orphanage made him aware of an opportunity to help out a girl that needed a family, Jim knew he had the room. Also, with Kyle being older, he knew that it would be feasible. After Kyle knew his dad's motivation, he thought maybe it would be good for his dad to have someone small to look after since he was getting older, and he could tell his dad missed the days when he was a child. When he found out that this "girl" was actually his age, he was completely floored! Of course, nothing could compare to how he felt when she first walked in his front door. He would remember that moment for the rest of his life.

"Kyle! Son are you home?" Jim said as he walked in his front door. He could hear the door to Kyle's room open.

Kyle suddenly came into view, just as Tess was strolling in the door. She had on white blue jeans and a blue blouse that matched her eyes perfectly. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail , with a few blonde ringlets falling out and surrounding her face. She was struggling with her suitcase, and he quickly ran up to help her.

"Here let me help you with that" Kyle rushed to say.

Tess gave a sigh of relief and replied "Thanks so much…unfortunately, there is more in the car."

Kyle lifted the suitcase with little effort and replied "Oh, that's ok, I don't mind at all." Thinking quickly he said "You will be staying in my room, so I'll just take this in there" he gestured to his room.

Kyle rushed out of her sight as soon as he could, as he tried to calm down. WOW, was she attractive. He could barely get control of himself before his dad followed him into his room.

"Are you ok son? I thought we were going to convert my office into a room for her?" Jim stated with one eyebrow raised.

Feeling a little more relaxed Kyle replied, "I know dad, I just thought since my room is a little bigger, that she might be more comfortable in here. The bed is at least already set up for her. I can sleep on the couch until we get a bed up in the office for me."

Jim smiled at his son with a look in his eye that said he knew what his son was thinking. "Just remember that she will be living in this house like a family member, so don't make her uncomfortable…"

Kyle looked insulted and replied "Daaad, you know I wouldn't do that."

Jim just chuckled and said "Alright son, well I guess you should start transferring your stuff into the office. I'll help Tess with the rest of her stuff."

"Sure thing." Kyle replied.

As Tess thought back to that first meeting, unbeknownst to her,Kylehad beenassailed with much of the same feelings asshe had. She sighed when she remembered first laying eyes on him. He was wearing a pair of black wind pants, and a wife beater and her mouth went dry as soon as she saw him. His hair was falling over his forhead and she just wanted to reach out and touch it! She quickly swallowed to put some moisture back in her mouth as she struggled with her suitcase. He had been such a gentlemen offering to help her with her bag, and also offering her his own room! The Sheriff had told her on the way there that they would be converting his office into a room for her, but obviously Kyle had other ideas. She was grateful, as after she poked her head into the office that day, she noticed that it only had one small window, and Kyle's room had a much bigger one. She loved the sunlight. She continued pondering her new family, and wondered if anything romantic would ever be possible with Kyle. She hoped that he didn't think of her as just his sister right off the bat. "Well" she thought "I might as well help him see me as more than just a sister and now would probably be the best time to start!" Which is why she was wearing a sleeveless, off the shoulder, sundress today. Her hair was freshly washed and styled with mousse, and she had on a silver necklace that dipped down, pointing to her cleavage. With just the right amount of makeup onshe felt sure of getting a reaction.His jaw drop when she had walked up to him at lunch was all that she needed to see and made her confident that he would not be thinking of her as a sister anytime soon.

When the bell rang signaling the end of 6th period Tess jumped, startled. She put her unopened book back in her book bag, and headed out the door. She met up with Kyle in the parking lot, and they drove home. When she got there, she quickly made her way into her new room, and changed into blue jeans, and a yellow top. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that she would put her hair up in a pony tail, since it was kind of wind blown from the ride home. She didn't want to look scary at her meeting with Max, Michael, and Isabel tonight. After tying a thin yellow ribbon around her pony tail, she walked out of the room to look for Kyle.

Kyle was sitting on the couch watching ESPN. There were no games on at the moment, but he liked listening to statistics sometimes. Tess looked at what was on the screen, which was some guy comparing numbers on a board, and thought "how boring…". She then walked over and plopped down next to Kyle. Kyle gave a slight jump when he realized Tess had sat down next to him, but tried to not appear startled as he looked her way.

"Hey Tess, w-what's up?" he stammered out.

Tess smiled and looked slightly amused at his reaction, and replied "Hey, I'm meeting up with some new friendsfrom school at the Carnival grounds tonight. Do you think you can drop me off?"

Kyle gave her a curious look, and said "Sure I can, in fact I just might join you."

Tess's smile quickly faded to a concerned face, "Oh that's ok Kyle, you don't have to. I understand if you are busy."

"No really, I have no plans for tonight." Kyle replied.

Tess thought quickly internally, if he came with her, how would she get rid of him while she talked with Max, Michael, and Isabel? She'd just have to lose him somehow when she got there, and knew she could think of a way on the way there. She quickly schooled her features and tried to sound excited.

"Great! Then let's get going!" she exclaimed.

"Ok", Kyle replied, "Let's go."

Max, Michael, and Isabel were just getting to the Carnival grounds around this time. They had agreed to meet at the tables behind the Ferris wheel, but they still had about 30 minutes before their scheduled meeting time. As they were getting out of the jeep, Michael spoke up.

"Max, have you talked with Valenti or Kyle since finding out about Tess yesterday?"

"No, I actually thought for some reason that one of you guys did. Isabel?

"Don't look at me! You are our 'leader' Max. Aren't you supposed to be on top of things like this?" she replied sarcastically.

Max replied quietly, but slightly defensive "Well, I have been kind of preoccupied lately".

"So have we!" Michael and Isabel replied at the same time.

"Ok, let's worry about that later. Let's get something to eat, and go sit down." Max replied.

They made their way over to the snack area, but ended up just getting something to drink, as they were all to nervous to be really hungry. Then they walked over to their predetermined meeting spot and sat down. Michael announced that he had to "hit the head" and walked quickly over to a bathroom.

Max and Isabel were sitting there at the table in silence, sipping their drinks, when Tess walked up.


	6. Chapter 6

_I got alot written today! I don't know if I will always get the chance to post more than once or twice a week, so when this happens don't get to used to it. ) Please keep the reviews coming! Thank you guys!_

**Chapter 6**

She walked up and stood behind Max and Isabel, and they didn't turn around not hearing her.

She said in a low voice "Blue Grass, Yellow Lakes, and a purple sky." Both Max and Isabel jumped at hearing those words.

Isabel exclaimed "Tess! Wow, that was kind of creepy."

Tess smiled, and went to the other side of the table to sit down. "Sorry if I scared you. I knew I'd meet you guys someday, and I always wondered what I'd say when I first saw you; you know to break the ice."

Max leaned in a little and replied "That was a very appropriate ice breaker." He suddenly felt something familiar about her words, but dismissed the feeling as nervousness.

Isabel spoke up then, "Well, we are just waiting for Michael. He had to go to the little boys room first."

Tess smiled and said, "It's ok. I'd have been here 10 minutes ago, but Kyle insisted on coming to the carnival too, and I had to lose him somehow."

Max and Isabel exchanged a look, and smiled. "How did you lose him?" Isabel asked with one eyebrow raised.

Tess got a conspirator look on her face and said "I took him to the house of mirrors on the other side of the fairgrounds. He's probably still in there!"

Michael couldn't believe the restroom was closed on their side of the fairgrounds. He hurried to find the next nearest restroom, only to discover that it was clear on the other side of the Carnival. He finally tracked it down, right near the house of mirrors and went in. When he had relieved himself, he went to wash his hands. Just then Kyle walked in.

"Hey Man." Kyle greeted Michael.

"What are you doing here Kyle?" Michael asked.

"My new 'sister' is meeting some friends from school here, and I came with her. I seem to have lost her somehow in the house of mirrors though." He stated while scratching his head.

Michael figured this was as good a time as any to tell him about Tess. "Um Kyle?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

He figured he'd just come out and say it. With a quick look around to make sure they were alone, Michael stated "Tess is an alien."

"Funny man, good joke!" Kyle said while punching Michael in the arm. Only Michael wasn't smiling and was still silent. "Oh man, you are serious!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Apparently. She had a talk with Isabel yesterday, and is meeting US here tonight to talk with us about it. She's seen all of us in her dreams before."

Kyle was standing there with his mouth open, looking ridiculous, and then he quickly shut it and put his hands on his hips. "You're kididng!" and then he said under his breath "I can't believe this….I'm in love with an alien…" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Michael asked.

"Oh, nothing" Kyle said very quickly. "Well, that explains why she apparently ditched me. She didn't want me to know she was meeting with you guys. I'm guessing this means she doesn't know that I already know, huh?"

"That would be correct. Max didn't think we should tell her of our human involvement until we have felt her out. After all, we don't want a crazy alien killer coming after you humans or anything…" he stated.

"I really hope not…" Kyle stated under his breath again.

"What?" Michael asked.

"Nothing, nothing. Just have a lot on my mind is all. Well, you better get to your meeting. I'll just go hang out by the Ferris wheel until you guys are done."

"Bad idea. That's where we are meeting at." Michael replied.

"Oooook, well, I guess I'll just hang out at the snack bar on THIS side of the fair grounds until later. Let her think she really lost me." Kyle said with a wink.

"Whatever man, I have to go. She's probably already over there. Don't tell your dad about Tess yet. We'll tell him as soon as we know if she is who she says she is.Ok?"

"Sure." Kyle replied.

"Later man" Michael said as he pushed open the swinging door andwalked out of the bathroom.

Kyle stood there for a second looking into one of the mirrors. "Get a grip man." He stated to his reflection. "Just because she's an alien doesn't change anything…" At least he hoped it didn't . He'd never been fond of the whole alien abyss they had all been pulled into that day at the Crashdown. He thought he could learn to embrace it though if it meant being with Tess…

Michael walked up to the table and sat down without a word next to Tess. He got the strangest familiar feeling as soon as he was in that close of proximity to her, but brushed it off as tension and asked a question.

"So you're Tess, huh?" Michael stated.

"Yes I am" she replied, "and you are Michael." She could sense a familiarity in his voice-it kind of soothed her, even though he was apparently being flip with her.

"Last time I checked, that was my name." he said sarcastically.

"Michael, give her a break" Isabel admonished.

Max broke into this exchange before it escalated, "OK Tess, now that Michael is here, it is time for youto start talking."

Tess took a deep breath and began "Well, you guys I'm not sure what you guys have seen in your dreams, but I've seen all of you in mine."

"Yeah, we know that already" Michael broke in.

"Michael" Max said in a warning voice "let her talk". Michael gave a small salute to Max and said "Yes sir, your highness."

At that Tess gave a small smile. "It's funny you should say that Michael."

"What?" Michael replied "We know that already?"

"No" Tess said "Your highness."

Michael and Max exchanged curious looks. "Why?" Michael asked.

"Because Max isa king." Tess said matter of factly.

"Hold on, Michael said. We knew instinctively that he was supposed to be our leader, but are you trying to tell me that he is actually our king?" Max said disbelievingly.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying" Tess replied. Michael crossed his arms in front of his chest and sat back, as Max took a deep breath.

"What are you saying?" Max asked Tess.

"Well, if you guys can try and hold questions until I'm done, I'll tell you everything I know, ok? Tess asked.

"Whatever you say" Michael replied.

"Thank you Michael." Tess then took a breath to begin. "When I was living with my first foster family my dreams started. I was around six at the time. I had never felt at ease with that family, and even though they were very nice to me, I felt out of place. When I had my first dream, I knew it had to mean something. My first dream was of a land with rolling hills, brown and green trees, and of course blue grass, yellow lakes, and a purple sky. The two glowing orange suns made a big impression on me and was the last thing I saw before the dream ended. While in it, I felt so at ease, like the feeling of being at home. This is what made me believe that my dream was more than just a dream. After that I had a dream at least once a week until I moved here. At first all I saw was me in my dreams. When I was around 10 though, I began seeing your faces. I saw Max on a throne. I saw Isabel at his side-though not as a queen-maybe a princess.I knew she was your sister though." She said that last part directly to Max when she saw his face turn a little green at the thought ofIsabel being queen, and him possibly being married to hisnow sister!

"Anyway, and I saw Michael. He was the leader of your armies and your best friend."

"And who are you?" Isabel asked.

"I don't know how I really fit into the scheme ofthe royal court, if that is what your asking." Tess replied

"What do you mean by that?" Max asked leaning in even more as his curiosity was peaked.

Tess shrugged her shoulders and replied "Well, I just don't know. I honestly thought that one of you would know how I fit into things since I saw you in my dreams; and maybe you saw me in yours. I only ever saw myself as an outsider. Looking on at your interactions and enjoying life outside the palace. I'm kind of disappointed that one of you doesn't know me." She said with a slight catch to her voice. "I really thought I'd finally found my family." She sighed. "Well, at least you are like me, even if we aren't related."

Max was stupefied. He felt such compassion for this girl and knew instinctivly that all she said was the truth. He reached over the table and touched her shoulder. "Tess, I know that you are tellingus the truth, and even though it appears that we aren't your blood family, I want you to always consider us as that. Michael, Isabel, and I have always taken care of each other, and we are happy to have you in our lives now too."

Michael being strangely moved by her sentiment, and feeling like he needed to comfort her, also laid a hand on her shoulder and said "Tess, I'm sorry I was so rude to you before. I'm sure you know how hard it can be to trust people sometimes, you being a foster kid and all. I have been there too, and I understand." Not really knowing why he just said that but not to comfortable letting his guard down he then said "Well, you are in the group now, and we are in this thing together" and he proceeded to pat her in a friendly manner on the shoulder while he stood up. She made his guard come down when he wasn't even thinking about it, and he thought if he got some distance between them that it would give him some control back.

Isabel came around the table and put her arm around Tess "You can come to me whenever you need to talk or just for any reason at all. Consider me your sister." Isabel said brightly.

Tess was overwhelmed at all of the support and acceptance, and she very much wanted to take Isabel at her word about being sisters. Yet, she still felt something missing in her heart. If only she could figure out what that something missing was….


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Liz and Maria were both working mindlessly trying to absorb themselves in their work and trying not to think about what was, or wasn't happening at the meeting with Tess.

"Order up!" cried José , the cook for the night, since Michael had traded him for the night off.

"Coming, coming…Be right there" said Maria as she put down the shake she was just starting to make. She touched the plate, which was a little to hot and cried "Ouch! Joseeeé, I thought I told you to stop putting the plates so close to the grill!"

José just shrugged his shoulders and said "Sorry mi vida, I'll try harder next time."

Maria rolled her eyes at that comment and muttered "You better…" under her breath. As she turned around to take her order to her table, she thought to herself of another reason she liked when Michael worked the night shift. At least he never burned her with plates!

"Hey chika, how are you holding up?" she asked Liz as she walked back to the counter to finish her shake.

" 'Bout as good as you are I imagine" she said while wiping down the counter for the 10th time that hour. Her stomach was in knots, and she was trying to be brave. She couldn't wait for that door to open and see Max coming through it though.

"I know, but we have to be strong! I'm sure that everything is fine." Maria tried to sound confident, but wasn't sure if the crack in her voice betrayed her inner feelings. In an effort to be funny she said "Liz, if you wipe down the counter much more, there won't be a counter left to wipe!"

This elicited a small smile from Liz, but still she had an overall queasy feeling in her stomach. She thought to herself "Calm down Liz!"

Just then Alex walked in the door and came over and sat on a barstool. "What's up Ladies?" he said trying to hide his own worry. "How are you holding down the fort in this mad house?" He indicated all the empty chairs and tables around him. Maria only had one table left, and she planned on locking up when they were done eating. The girls laughed at his joke and his attempt to lighten the mood. They spent the next thirty minutes just trying to make more jokes and hold it together. As Liz was wiping down the last table, and Maria was turning the OPEN sign to CLOSED, the door to the Crashdown opened and in walked the pod squad.

Liz was just putting a pencil behind her ear and practically poked herself in the head with it when she saw Max. Relief flooded her features and he could tell she had been worried.

"Hey Max, how'd it go?" she said while coming over to meet him.

He gathered her in a bear hug, kissed the top of her head and replied "Thank you for worrying about me, but everything went fine." He pulled back to look into her eyes and continued "We still have a lot to talk about with Tess, but I'm confident that she does not pose a threat."

"I agree" Michael interjected.

"Well that's a first" Maria said as she walked up to him. Michael gave her a squinty eyed look and she stated quickly "So what happened?"

Michael pulled out a chair, from the nearest table, and turned the seat around so the backrest was against his chest and sat down. "Well, we found out that our instincts were correct on one thing."

"What's that?" Liz asked.

Michael gestured with his head in Max's direction and states "Not only is Maxamillion our leader, he's supposed to be our king."

Liz and Maria were both struck dumb.

Alex, always coming to the rescue of dumbstruck females, replied and said "That's very interesting, but where does that leave you and Isabel?"

Isabel came over to where Alex was now standing and said, "Guess what Alex, I'm a princess!"

Alex muttered under his breath "I already knew that…"

Michael spoke up, "What was that Whitman?" while trying to hide a smirk.

Isabel not hearing what he said, spoke up "What? What did I miss!"

Michael quickly broke in. "Nothing important." While still trying to hide his amusement " Anyway Whitman, in answer to your question, I'm supposed to be the leader of Max's armies."

Alex clapped him on the shoulder and said "So your blowing up things is good for something, huh?"

Michael's smile quickly faded and he stated "Touching."

To which Alex replied. "Sorry…" and whipped his hand down.

Maria just shrugged her shoulders and states "He's hopeless!" gesturing at Michael.

Isabel giggled at that and then said "Well, we still have a lot to find out , and CAN you guys PLEASE save it for later?" This was said in the direction of Max and Liz who were getting cozy in a booth since Michael and Isabel were busy distracted with Alex and Maria.

Max just rolled his eyes and went back to kissing Liz.

Isabel just gave her brother a sideways glance with her slanted eyes and started talking to Maria.

While everyone in the restaurant was distracted, no one noticed one curly haired blonde slipping into the café.

Tess looked around the aptly named café and while no one noticed, started listening to the conversations. She had been walking home, unable to find Kyle at the Carnival, and saw the pod squad in the café and wondered what could her new alien friends possibly be doing looking so cozy with a bunch of humans. She figured she'd hang back, leaning up against the back wall, and wait to be noticed. She heard Isabel first talking to Maria.

"When she first came up to me and Max, she said something like "Purple skies, lakes, and blue grass…or something. It was kinda freaky."

Tess, all of a sudden, wondered if she was dreaming…

Michael was talking to Alex and was saying "She doesn't seem like a threat at all, but we need to talk to her more and find our more information from her."

Tess shook her head as if to clear it, and could not believe what she was hearing. All of her feelings of peace and friendship she had felt for these people were slowly slipping away…she thought to herself "This can't be happeing…!"

Just as she saw Max making out with a girl she had seen from school, who was obviously human, her emotional dam burst.

"You TRAITORS!" She screamed "You have betrayed me!" Without another word she ran out of the café.

Michael began to run after her but as soon as he got out the front door, she had disappeared. He ran back inside.

"Didn't you guys tell her about us?" Maria asked to anyone in the pod squad.

"We were going to…" Isabel began "but since it was getting late, and we knew we'd have a lot of explaining to do, we thought we'd save it for tomorrow."

"Oh great, a crazy, angry alien on the loose, just what we need" Alex stated while throwing up his hands.

"Alex, calm down, we'll find her and explain." Isabel stated.

Michael spoke up and said "I'll get to the Valenti's and see if she's there."

Max walked over to Michael and said "No Michael, take Isabel and start searching near here. There are a lot of places to hide, and we need to find her as soon as possible. Besides, the Sheriff still doesn't know Tess is an alien, so I need to explain that to him too."

Michael gave his usual sarcastic salute and replied "Yes sir, whatever you say."

Max then looked at Alex and stated, "Can you take Maria home?"

"Wait, Wait, Wait" Maria broke in with her hand in a stop gesture, "I'm staying right here with Liz…safety in numbers and all that."

"Don't worry Max" Alex said "I'll stay with the girls and make sure they are ok."

Liz piped up "Hey I can take care of myself, I want to go with You Max!"

"Liz, it's to dangerous, please just stay here with Alex and Maria. I promise I'll call you as soon as we track down Tess."

"Okaaay…" she said, while looking down "…but I don't like this."

"I'm sorry Liz, we have to do this." Max replied.

Michael walked over to the door and said "Come ON, we are wasting time, let's go!"

"I'll call you as soon as I can" Max said to Liz.

Liz gave Max a quick peck on the cheek and a small hug and then they were gone.

"Well ladies, what do you want to do now?" Alex asked.

Maria looked scared out of her mind, and Liz stated. "Well, we can at least check all around the crashdown and make sure she's not around here."

"Oh, no" Maria said, "Max said to stay put, and if I have to sit on you myself, you are not stepping foot out of this restaurant."

"Fine" Liz stated. "Well, Alex, how do you feel about a make over?"

Alex's face turned a little whiter than usual and he pleaded with them "You girls aren't going to put me in a face mask again and paint my toenails are you?"

This changed the mood, and the girls looked at each other and then at him with menacing smiles.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello to the new readers! Thanks for your positive comments! Everyone's overall positive feedback is very motivating...hence the double post today. Happy reading! (and keep the comments coming! )_

**Chapter 8**

Tess ran blindly, the tears running silently down her cheeks. "How could this happen?" she thought to herself. "I trusted them…"

She was running so fast, and not paying any attention, that she barely heard the squealing brakes and car horn before she felt a crack and a searing pain in her right thigh. She felt the sensation of flying and then and her head hit the ground hard. She thought "I'm going to die and no one will even care…" before her world went black.

"Oh SHT!" Kyle cried as he slammed down hard on his brakes. He saw Tess running into the street and barely had enough time to even try to break before he hit her. He had been looking for her, on the most likely route she would have taken home, for the past 30 minutes. He couldn't figure out where she went! He knew she hadn't gone with Max and the others because he saw Michael on the way out and he told Kyle that Tess had went to the restroom, and was going to look for him after. She never showed up. Kyle saw Tess fly through the air and land about 15 feet in front of his car. He cursed again and scrambled with the door handle, finally making it out of his car and over to Tess. He knelt down next to her, tears forming in his eyes and whispered "Tess, please don't die…please…". He could see blood pooling under her head and that she had a broken leg. He was sure there were more non-visible injuries, but knowing he could not call an ambulance, for obvious reasons, he quickly picked her up and laid her gently in the back seat of his car. He kicked the car into gear and simultaneously picked up his cell phone. He punched in the speed dial number for Max's cell phone. "Please answer, please god, answer!" He said frantically while turning in the direction of town and pressing down harder on the accelerator.

Max pulled the Jeep into the Valenti driveway and quickly got out. Looking all around, he walked up the path to the front door and knocked as hard as he could without pounding on the door. The sheriff opened the door in a T-shirt and shorts and looked surprised to see Max at that late hour.

"Max, what's going on?" He moved aside so Max could come in and closed the door.

"Hey Sheriff, is Tess home?" Max asked.

"No, no, I haven't seen her since this morning." He crossed his arms in front of his chest to fend off the night chill Max let in when he came through the door. "What's this all about Max?" he stated beginning to get suspicious.

"I need to tell you something about Tess. Maybe you should sit down" Max said

"Ok" the sheriff replied and took a seat at the dining room table.

Max quickly followed his lead, and sat down.

"So what do you have to tell me son?" the sheriff asked with a little foreboding in his voice.

"Well, Tess isn't from around here." Max stated.

"I know that, she's from Albuquerque" the sheriff replied.

"No, that's not what I mean sheriff…" just then Max's cell phone rang. "I'm sorry, give me a second ok?" The sheriff sat back in his chair waiting. Thinking it was Michael calling to say they found Tess, Max leaned down a little and flipped open his phone. "Michael?"

"Max!" Kyle yelled "I just hit Tess with my car!" he continued.

Max quickly stood up from his chair "Kyle? What? How? Why did you do that?"

"It was an accident for pete's sake! I didn't even see her before she was right in front of the car!"

"Where are you?" Max asked hurridly.

"I'm on Main street, heading straight into town…" Kyle replied.

Max broke in "Listen, come to your house! I'm here with your father."

"Does he know about Tess?" Kyle asked.

"He will soon…Hurry and get here!" Max replied and hung up.

Isabel and Michael were still looking for Tess around the center of town when Michael's phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Michael said "Max, did you find her?"

Isabel looking nervous, grabbed Michael's arm and said "What? Did he? What's he saying?"

"Gosh Iz, hold on! Ok, Max yeah, we'll be there as soon as we can get Alex and the others. Ok, bye."

"What did he say Michael?" Isabel asked looking frantic.

"He said Kyle hit Tess with his car. He doesn't know all the details but Kyle is bringing Tess to the Valenti's house. That's where Max is."

Just then they saw Kyle's mustang whizzing by them-they simultaneously hoped he wouldn't get pulled over for speeding…

"Oh my god…" Isabel said while looking shocked and holding her hand to her forehead. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Come on" Michael said, practically dragging Isabel with him. "We have to go get the others and get to Kyle's house in Alex's car."

Maria had just put the finishing touches on Alex's newly painted toe nails and Liz was removing his face mask with a wet, pink washcloth when Michael and Isabel burst into Liz's room through the window.

Michael coming in first said "Alex we need your…oh my god, what are you letting them do to you?"

Alex stood up since Liz was finished removing the mask. "It's ok, I'm secure enough in my manhood to have a face mask done from time to time."

Isabel saw his bright green toenails, and tried to stifle a giggle. It was a welcome mood change from the heavy emotion she was just feeling. She pointed down at his nails, "And those?" she asked with a coy smile.

"Oh don't be so mean to him!" Maria exclaimed. "It takes a special kind of guy to let his friends paint his toenails to relieve stress."

"Relieve stress for you or him?" Isabel asked.

"Guys! We aren't here to insult Alex, even though that's what it looks like" he gestured in Alex's direction.

Alex crossed his arms over his chest and looked hurt. Isabel felt bad, but she'd have to talk to him about it later. She was having to put off all of their conversations for later these days. She gave an internal sigh.

"Max just called my phone, and we know where Tess is."

"Where is she?" Liz asked.

"Apparently Kyle hit her with his car, and he's taking her to his house. Max is there."

"Oh my god!" Maria exclaimed.

"I'm guessing this means Kyle knows about Tess, huh?" Mara asked.

"Yeah, I saw him at the carnival, and I told him briefly while we were in the restroom." Michael replied.

"Well what are we standing around here for?" Liz almost yelled. "Let's go!" She didn't want Max to be the only alien around when Tess came to, if she came to…

Kyle pulled up behind Max in his driveway and threw the car in park. Max and the sheriff came running out of the house. The sheriff looked like he had seen a ghost, and Kyle assumed Max had just finished telling him about Tess.

"Quick, help me get her inside!" Kyle yelled

"No, I have to check her first!" Max stated. "I have to see if her neck and back are ok before we move her."

"Ok man, hurry up!" Kyle practically screamed. His perfect girl was slipping away, and he couldn't help her a damn bit. He finally saw one of the advantages of being and alien; or at least Max Evans. He would give anything for the ability to heal right now.

Max came over and knelt down by Tess's head. He put one hand on her forehead and the other on her abdomen. The tell tale signs of an internal exam, being his glowing hands, told Kyle and the sheriff that he was checking her out. Max broke the connection and gave a strangled sigh. "Her neck and back aren't broken, but I can't get through to heal he r internal injuries. She needs to open her eyes so I can form the connection to heal. Quick help me move her.!"

Max picked up her upper torso, and Kyle grabbed her legs. The sheriff went for the front door, and they quickly carried her inside. Just before they got there, the sheriff had laid down a thick layer of towels on the couch for Tess to lay on. Max and Kyle laid her down there as gently as possible.

Max again knelt down beside her and said "Tess, Tess can you hear me?" He touched right side of her face with his whole hand "Tess, I need you to look at me so I can heal you."

Tess moaned and began to stir. She opened her eyes just a slit, and that was all Max needed. He plunged in for the connection. Tess moaned again when she realized that Max was touching her.

"Traitor!" she said to Max in her mind. "Leave me alone!"

"Tess.." he replied "Tess, you are hurt. You have to let me help you!"

Just then the Sheriff's front door burst open and the rest of the gang piled into the room. Liz's eyes went automatically in search of Max and found him kneeling next to Tess. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as outwardly all she could tell was that he was touching her face and that they were staring at each other. She knew he was attempting to heal her, and she hoped Tess wouldn't hate them all when she was healed.

"Kyle" Liz said "How is she?"

Kyle sighed and turned around to face Liz "She's pretty banged up, but Max said her neck and back weren't broken."

"That's good" Liz replied while coming over to put her hand on Kyle's arm in comfort. He looked pretty guilty even though she was sure it wasn't his fault.

"So what happened Kyle?" Liz asked quietly with concern on her face.

"I don't know Liz!" he states exasperated. "One minute I'm driving down the street looking for her, and the next thing I know she ran right in front of my car! I barely had time to break, much less swerve…"

"Oh Kyle, I'm so sorry…we didn't know where she ran too." Liz stated while looking down.

"What? When did you see her?" Kyle asked.

"Well, it was more like she saw us. After meeting with Tess at the Carnival, Max, Michael, and Iz came over to the Crashdown to tell us how it went. While we were all caught up in talking she slipped in…and I'm not sure what she heard, everyone was pretty much talking about her….but the next thing we new she yelled out traitors! You betrayed me! Then she ran out of there as fast as she could."

Kyle looked slightly pissed and replied "I'm guessing those three…" indicating Max, Michael, and Isabel "never got around to telling her about us knowing?"

"No, they were going to wait until tomorrow…guess they shouldn't have."

"Yeah I guess not" Kyle said.

"Tess, you have a lot of internal injuries. If you don't let me heal you, you will probably die." Max pleaded with her.

"I don't care! You, Michael, and your sister aren't who I thought you were…you are friends with HUMANS!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Tess, please! It's not what you think! We are friends with humans, but they know about us and would never turn us in! I'm in love with one of them for crying out loud!" Max pleaded with her.

"You are lying, and I don't believe you…" Tess snapped back.

"Tess please, search my mind, I know now that since we are talking in this connection that you can tell if I'm lying…please! Your life depends on it!" Max was internally crying by this time. He didn't know what about this girl called to him, but he knew he didn't want to let her go like this.

Tess knew what to do, she'd done it before to her unsuspecting foster parents when they were asleep. She knew when they lied to her, and they never could figure out how. She had used her abilities to weed out the bad foster parents…the ones who just wanted her for the check. She had systematically revealed their intentions to CPS, and each time she would be moved. Humans were more trouble then they were worth sometimes! Tess gave an internal sigh of resignation and probed into Max's mind. Max could feel when she entered his thoughts and opened wide the flood gates, not hiding anything from her. Tess was assailed with images and pictures of Max's life.

flash Max's sorrow of not knowing where he came from as a child and wandering naked with Isabel.

flash His love for the people that took him and Isabel in and eventually became mom and dad to them.

flash His love for Liz, pure and complete. She saw him healing Liz and Kyle that day on the Crashdown floor.

flash The sheriff hugging Kyle outside the Crashdown and accepting Max, not even caring what he was or how he did it.

flash The day Liz asked where Max was from and his feelings while he told her the truth.

flash So many happy times since all the humans found out-love, friendship, acceptance, love, friendship, acceptance…

flash Max meeting Tess and feeling connected to her just like he was connected to Isabel and Michael.

Then the flashes stopped, and Tess was sobbing internally. "Ma-Max, I'm so sorry…I di-didn't know…" Tess could feel her life slipping away. "Ma-ax…"

Internally Max screamed "No TESS! Don't give up now!" and quickly he found that she was letting him in. He scanned her body and started repairing the most damaged areas. Moving from one area to the next, he healed every inch of her. He didn't know he had the ability to heal so quickly, but healing Tess was very easy now that she was letting him in. Finally after repairing the last severed vein, Max broke the connection.

He opened his eyes and found that he and Tess were wrapped in a tight hug. She was still sobbing, and was thanking him over and over. "Max, I didn't know…..thank you …thank you for showing me…thank you for healing me…"

"Shhh, Tess. It's ok. I understand. Shhh, you are going to be ok now." He said as he stroked her hair. Max then pulled away slightly and Isabel came over and gathered Tess up in a hug.

"Tess, I'm so sorry we didn't tell you sooner. You don't ever have to be afraid of us. Or them" she said as she gestured to all of the humans in the room. "Well, maybe that one" she said with a giggle pointing at Kyle as she winked at him.

Maria handed her some tissue and Tess wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She looked around the room with puffy albeit shining eyes and studied the faces of those around her. Genuine concern showed on everyone's faces. Her eyes came to Kyle's and stopped.

"Tess, I'm SO sorry…I didn't even see you! I wish the car would have hit me instead of you…"Kyle trailed off at the end.

Tess stood up and walked over to Kyle "It's ok Kyle, it wasn't your fault. I'm actually kind of glad that you did hit me though."

Kyle looked confused and asked "Why…?"

"Because if you hadn't I wouldn't have found out from Max about all of you….or at least it would have been a lot harder and not as meaningful. I actually didn't care if I lived or died in the moments before you hit me. I thought everything I had been dreaming about my entire life was a lie. Every day I endured in a foster family a waste…Since Max showed me the truth though, I see things as they are. I really see the truth."

"Well, I'm sure you kids need to get home" the sheriff broke in.

"It's past curfew, and I'm still the sheriff!" he said.

Everyone broke out into relieved laughter and made plans to meet the next day for lunch at school. Isabel hugged Tess again, and Tess then walked up to Liz and Maria. "Liz, thank you for being there for Max and everyone…he really loves you, you know…"

Liz's eyes misted over at hearing those words from Tess, and she replied "Well, he did save my life, but I know I'd love him the same even if he never had to."

"We have that in common now!" Tess replied "He saved both of our lives!" And Tess hugged Liz. Liz looking somewhat taken aback, hugged her new friend back.

"You gave us a big scary missy!" Maria broke in while patting Tess on the back. "No more jumping in front of moving vehicles ok?" Mara said smiling.

"Don't worry, I won't be doing that willingly again" Tess replied with an embarrassed look on her face. Maria and Liz both hugged her. Alex then jumped into the hug and encircled all three of them. "Oh you girls! I so like when everyone is happy!"

Isabel saw Alex hugging the girls and wondered what it would be like with his arms around her. She gave her head a little shake and continued thinking internally "Wait a second, what did I just think? Huh…I think it's time for me and my green-toe nailed friend to have a little talk…" She continued to think while outwardly blushing.

"Ok guys, enough goodbye's, go home. Get some rest for tomorrow, I have a feeling you will need it!" the sheriff exclaimed with one eyebrow raised.

Everyone filed out, and Kyle ran out to move his mustang so Max could get out of the driveway. As Isabel walked by his car she noticed the blood staining the back seat. She quickly waved her hand over it and erased all signs of Tess's ordeal.

"Thank Iz, that makes me feel much better…" Kyle said with genuine thanks.

Isabel just smiled and continued to get into the Jeep "No problem."

"Can you swing by Main St. and 4th on your way home? The road its…" Kyle broke off at the end

"We got it Kyle, don't worry." Isabel said.

As everyone was leaving Jim came up beside Tess, who was still wiping her cheeks and blowing her nose, and put his arm around her.

"You have been through quite a lot today, haven't you?" he asked Tess.

She sighed and said, "Yeah, but I think this is the beginning of something big. I've finally found my family and I know we will begin to unlock the secrets of our past soon…I can feel it!"

"Ok, little lady, but right now you can unlock the secrets of a good night's sleep! Off to bed with you." He said while giving her a slight hug.

"Thanks Jim, see you in the morning." Tess said as she walked to her room and closed the door behind her.

Kyle walked in just in time to see the back siloutte of Tess before she closed her door. "Man!" He thought to himself. "I almost lost her today…I don't know how much longer I should wait to make this girl more than just my sister!" He wondered how he could have ever thought anything bad about aliens before….

Tess got into her bed and laid down. She snuggled into her sheets and cuddled with her pillow. She reached over and turned off her lamp, on her dresser, and took a deep breath before falling right to sleep.

That's when her dream began….


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry for the delayed post. The site was down or something the past two days, and I couldn't log in to post! There should be another part up tomorrow...maybe tonight if it's slow at work! )_

**Chapter 10**

Tess was in a dimly lit room, it felt like it was around 60 degrees in temperature. She shivered, in what felt like her pajamas, and tried to warm her bare arms with her hands. The room was hazy with a kind of spicy, sweet smoke and she could feel that her back was pressed up against a wall. She heard a woman scream and so she froze where she was. In front of her she could make out a woman laying down on a slightly inclined surface. Around the woman were two other figures, she could tell were assisting with a birth. She didn't know what was happening, but she remained entranced by the occurrence in front of her. Through the smoke she could tell that a baby had just been born and was handed to a woman to the left. Before Tess could make out if the baby was a boy or a girl, the woman in labor gave another piercing scream. Tess could hear a man in front of the screaming woman say "Another?" and then he quickly bent to help the woman deliver her second child. The woman, holding the crying baby, blew on what looked like an incense burner and instructed the woman in labor to breathe in deeply-that it would help give her strength to push. After another scream and much effort, the second child was born and handed to the now calm woman, and Tess could make out a golden sheen on that baby's head, through the haze.

The man said, "Andrina…this baby is female…what will we do?"

The woman waved her hand over her daughter, and the evidence of just being born was wiped away. Then she replied, "I will name her Sihra (pronounced Seerha), because she will be "my light".

"Andrina, my love, you know we will have to send her to Kentwaisis, she can't stay here on Antar…it is the law…" the man continued.

"Shh, shhh" Andrina cooed to the restless baby in her arms "All will be worked out Jameus…for this day has been foretold…many years ago."

Jameus took their other baby, a son, out of the other woman's hands, cleaned him in the same way, and sent the woman out of the room. "Andrina, what are you saying?"

"I have known this day would be coming for a long time now. The wise woman Bethsheta told me on her deathbed of its coming. She told me I'd give birth to twins, whose births would lead the way to redemption for our people."

"How can this be?" Jameus asked.

"The prophecy has been given, but the road ahead is unmarked. We will have to use our greatest judgment and raise our son in the best way we can. Unfortunately we will have to watch our daughter grow from afar..."

"You mean send her away to Kentwaisis?" Jameus asked.

"No, I have made arrangements for her to live with Mayverna and Lyatso. They agreed, long ago, to take her when the time arrived…she will be well taken care of." Andrina breathed in her daughter's fresh scent, and kissed the top of her golden head. "Please call them Jameus, the sooner the be-eh-ter" she said with a catch in her throat. "Even though I have known this day would come, I don't want to let her go!"

The woman cried silent tears as she rocked her baby, and the man left the room. Tess was still frozen in her spot, and had been mesmerized during this whole exchange. She tried to move forward now, and found that she was frozen in place. She was about to call out to the woman, when she woke up out of her dream. She was chilled, having thrown her covers off, but she was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. She was breathing heavy, and sat up in bed, trying to calm down. She put her hands on her temples and closed her eyes, trying to figure out what her dream meant. "Antar…" she heard herself say out loud. "Our home is called Antar…" She knew it with every fiber of her being; and that's the only solid piece of information she could remember from her dream…that, and a baby's cry.

She didn't know it now, but this dream would be the beginning of a long forgotten prophecy that would eventually lead all the aliens…home.

Isabel woke up the next morning with a horrible headache. Stumbling into the bathroom to wash her face, she bumped the door into Max who was attempting to relieve himself.

"Um, Iz? Do you mind?" Max said.

"Well, you could have locked the door!" Isabel snapped then grabbed her head, as that comment caused her whole head to throb even more.

Isabel laid her forehead against the cool wall outside of the bathroom, waiting for her brother to finish. When the door opened and he walked out, Max attempting to annoy his sister even more, grabbed one of her hands with his freshly washed one. It was still sopping wet. When he made contact with her hand though, they both froze and looked into each others eyes. Their pupils dilated and they both murmured one word "Antar…" Max shook his head as if to clear it, and Isabel found that her splitting headache was suddenly gone.

"Max, you dreamed it too…didn't you…" Isabel whispered.

"Yeah Iz, I guess I did. I didn't remember it until I touched your hand. Do you remember the woman and the babies ?" he asked.

"Yes, but parts of the dream are hazy. I do remember there was a boy and a girl." She grabbed max by the arm, "Max, do you think it was us?" she asked with wide eyes.

"I don't know Iz." He started to rub his head in a thinking gesture "Maybe, I mean we both had the same dream and there was a boy and a girl… What was the last thing you remember?"

"I distinctly remember our…I guess she's… our Muh-Mother…" she stumbled over the word as if foreign to her "…Andrina saying 'The prophecy has been given, but the road ahead is unmarked…' and that was the last thing I heard before I was thrown into one of my regular dreams." Isabel thought to herself "Could that have been our mother?"

As if reading her thoughts Max replied "If that was out mother Iz, she is a very strong woman." Max sighed and said, "Well, it's Saturday. Let's hurry and get showered and dressed so we can tell the others about our dream. I'll call Kyle and he can tell Tess. Then I'll call Liz and she can call Maria and Al-" he was cut off by Isabel.

"I'll call Alex and Michael should be working grill this morning, so he'll be there already…ok?" Isabel stated hurriedly.

Max smiled and gave his sister a knowing look, "Ok Iz, tell ALEX" he said slowly "that we'll meet at the Crashdown at 11 pm for an early lunch. You better hurry up, we leave in 30 minutes…"

"Whatever you say big brother" Isabel replied.

Alex was attempting to go back to sleep after a bathroom break, and was scooting down in his sheets trying to find a cooler spot, when his phone rang. He rubbed his eyes, and picked up the cordless phone to look at the caller ID. He read Isabel Evans, and almost dropped the phone. His eyes bugged out of his head, "No WAY!" he said aloud. The phone was just starting its fourth ring when Alex thought to push the button to answer it, and frantically pressed fearing she would hang up on the fifth ring.

"Hello?" he said almost out of breath.

"Alex? It's me Isabel." She began.

"Oh Iz…Isabel. Hi! Good to hear from you. How are you?" he said all at once and then slapped his forehead praying she didn't think he was a big weirdo.

"I'm good Alex" she said while giggling quietly to herself. "Listen, all of us are meeting at the Crashdown at 11 to talk about a dream that Max and I had last night." Deciding to take her brothers previous advice she then said "Maybe we can catch a movie after or something…if you aren't too busy that is." She said slyly.

"A movie? Yes, NO. I mean yes I'd like that and, no I'm not busy." He was rapidly turning red, and was so glad she couldn't see him at that moment. "I'll bring my dad's Corolla, so your hair won't get windblown like it usually does in the Jeep. I MEAN, not that it usually looks windblown, I just mean that-" Isabel broke in then.

"It's ok Alex, I understand. Thanks for thinking of me." She said with a smile. "See you at 11 then, and you better hurry!"

"Why?" Alex replied "What time is it?"

Isabel smiled and said "10:15." Then she hung up.

Alex jumped out of bed so fast that he got tangled up in his bed sheets and after waving his arms like a windmill, cried "Oh NO!" and fell with a smack on the floor. "Ouch" he said. Then he picked himself up and ran to the bathroom, limping the whole way there.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Here is the new chapter as promised! Please keep the comments coming as they are my greatest motivation. You guys are the best! )_**

**Chapter 11**

On his early morning walk to work Saturday Morning, Michael had the distinct feeling that something significant had happened in one of his dreams last night, but he couldn't be sure. It had been such a long time since any of their group had had a dream of any significance and he was lost in his thoughts trying to remember any of it. He was almost sure that he heard someone talking about his home planet. Antar…the word was stuck in his head and he knew that's what he was dreaming about. The only other thing he could seem to remember was the sound of babies crying; that, and a word, a name, or something…Jaiseti. He tried to think about it more, but was already late to work, and began a slight jog-clearing his head for the day ahead. He could think about his dream later.

After her dream that night, Tess got up to get a glass of water, with a shot of Tabasco. Afterwards, Tess came back to her room and removed the wet stickiness from her sheets with a wave of her hand. There was nothing she hated more than sweaty sheets. She had stayed up for 10 more minutes trying to glean more from her memory regarding her dream, but the only thing she could remember solidly was that someone said the word Antar, and she knew that had to be her home planet's name. That and she also remembered a baby's cry. Why was this dream so vague? All her dreams were usually pretty easy to remember. Yawning in resignation, she had succumbed to her tired state, and laid back down to fall asleep. The next morning, she woke to a soft knock on her door.

"Tess, hey are you awake?" Kyle asked softly.

Tess stretched, rubbed her eyes, and replied "Yeah Kyle, what time is it?"

Kyle replied "It's 10:15…are you decent?"

Tess smiled to herself, knowing she was wearing only a thin white tank top and some sleeper pants. She ran a quick hand through her hair to calm the frizzies, threw back her covers and stood up "Sure, come on in."

Kyle walked through the door, and Tess could tell his eyes were instantly drawn to her chest. She knew she was driving him crazy, but pretended she didn't notice him staring. "What's up Kyle?" she asked as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts, raising them tantalizingly.

Kyle licked his suddenly dry lips, and looked back up to meet Tess' eyes. He thought to himself "Whew, I don't' think she noticed I was checking her out!" He cleared his throat and said "Max just called. He said he and Isabel shared a dream or something last night, and he wants all of us to meet at the Crashdown at 11 to talk about it."

"Eleven?" Tess asked "…but it's already 10:20! I have to get in the shower!" and with that she grabbed the bottom of her top and looked as though she was going to pull it off right in front of Kyle and he rushed out of the room slamming the door behind him.

"What is Tess trying to do to me?" he thought to himself. "If she keeps this up, I will not be able to hold back telling her how I feel about her for much longer." He was leaning against Tess' door and breathing heavily, and trying to calm down when Tess opened her door again in a bathrobe.

"Auughhh!" Kyle cried as he fell on top of Tess.

"Mmmphhh" Tess said as she caught Kyle and prevented him from falling.

"Thanks Tess, uh, I was just…" Kyle began, but then Tess cut him off and pushed him away from her.

"Kyle! What are you doing? Go get dressed! I still have to take a shower!" and she pushed him in the direction of the office while she glided into the bathroom and threw him one last look over her shoulder before closing the door behind her.

"She really doesn't know what she's doing to me…" he muttered as he rummaged through his things looking for something clean to wear.

Behind the bathroom door, Tess said to herself "I have him exactly where I want him now…If he doesn't make a move to tell me how I make him feel soon, I may have to take matters into my own hands." She turned on the shower and hung up her robe, preparing to step in, and felt like she may need colder water…

Liz descended the steps leading from her room to the back room of the Crashdown while pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She saw Maria finishing up getting into her uniform and adjusting her antennas. Maria heard Liz's foot falls and turned to look over her shoulder at her friend.

"Liz, you really need to talk to your dad about these things!" she exclaimed while trying to get her antennas to stay put. "They make us look ridiculous!"

Liz just laughed and said "I know Maria, but you look so cute in them!" she said while pinching Maria's cheeks.

Maria rolled her eyes and Liz said "Oh! By the way, you will be on a break in 15 minutes. Max-" then Maria broke in by holding up her hand in a stop gesture.

"I know, I know. We have a meeting about a dream he and Isabel had last night." she stated.

"Yeah" Liz replied "How did you know already?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

"Alex called my cell phone. Apparently he and Isabel have a DATE after our little meeting, and he was bouncing off the walls to tell someone. Can you believe it?" Maria asked.

"Wow, I can't believe he finally asked her!" Liz said.

"No girl, get this! She asked HIM. I knew that girl was hiding feelings for our best friend…" she stated with an impish grin.

"Well, I never thought Isabel would do that…but I'm glad she is finally letting Alex in. He deserves someone special…he's been such a good friend to us…" Liz stated wistfully.

"Woah girl, don't go all sentimental on me! It's time for our little meeting anyway." Maria stated while ushering her friend into the dining area.

Liz walked over to a table where Isabel was already seated, while Maria stepped into the kitchen with Michael. "Hey Spaceboy, we-"

"I already know about the meeting, Maxwell was just in here. Now if José would get in here, I could get out of here!" Michael stated irritated.

Just then José brushed by Maria, in a way that was not very appropriate, and said "I'm here, I'm here. Go on break before I have to kiss this pretty lady" he stated while throwing a kiss to Maria.

Maria replied back with a smile and a slight blush to her cheeks "Hey José, don't forget about my six inch rule…that area around me is MY space."

"Whatever you say Mi Vida" he replied while throwing her another kiss. Michael glared at him, but said nothing. He then touched Maria in the small of her back and ushered her out of the kitchen.

José called back "Hey, he can touch you but I can't!"

Before she could respond, Michael had them both out of the kitchen and almost at the table Alex, Isabel, and Liz were already sitting at. "OK Michael" Maria stated "We're out of the kitchen, slow down!"

"There is something about that guy I don't like" Michael said.

"Really?" Maria replied sounding interested.

Maria slid in the booth beside Alex, who was currently staring at Isabel. He was trying to be sly since she was on the other side of him and Maria smiled when she noticed.

"What's up Alex?" Maria said while jabbing him in the ribs.

"Ow Maria, that hurt!" Alex replied.

"Oh, I'm sure your in a lot of pain right now.." she stated conspiratorially in only his direction, causing Alex to blush deeply.

"Ixnay on the ainpay ariaMay" (pig latin translation: ) Nix on the pain Maria) Alex told Maria.

"Whatay?" Isabel asked.

Just then Max came from the direction of the bathroom Michael stood up so Max could slide in next to Liz. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Isabel wouldn't let me use the restroom at home, so we wouldn't be late."

"Shut up Max…" Isabel stated in a warning voice.

Everyone turned their head at the jingle of the bell on the front door to see Tess and Kyle stroll in. Since there was no room left in the booth, they both pulled up chairs at the end of the table, Kyle next to Maria and Tess next to Michael. Michael got that strange feeling that he got from Tess the night of the carnival, and this time he pondered its meaning. One time he could forget, but two times…his thoughts were interrupted by Kyle.

"Hey guys" Kyle said. "What's shaking?"

"How are you feeling today Tess?" Maria asked.

"Much better…thank you for asking!" Tess replied.

"It's the least I can do, since this guy almost killed you!" Maria indicated Kyle with a flourish of her hand.

"You know it wouldn't have happened at all if 3 certain people had let Tess know a vital piece of information." Kyle said while looking at Isabel, Max, and Michael.

"Stop you guys. I'm fine" Tess said with a chuckle. "Really, I think it all ended up working out for the best. I'm alive, and after all, I have no after effects from flying through the air so…" she said while smiling and watching Kyle's face for a reaction. She had used her hand to give the impression of flying up and going splat-landing on Michael's hand. He grimaced and took his hand away from underneath Tess' and she said "Just kidding Kyle!".

"Please don't do that to me again…"Kyle said. "I really want to forget the memory of you flying. You belong on the ground, safe and sound. Period." He said while looking worried.

"Kyle it really is ok." Tess said while touching his arm. She was moved he seemed to care so much for her.

"Ok" Michael said "Let's get this show on the road. So, what happened last night Max? Iz…?"

Max and Isabel exchanged a look and then Isabel began "Well, I had the worst headache this morning when I woke up. I couldn't remember having a dream or anything. I walked to the bathroom to wash my face, and had to wait on King Max" she gestured to her brother with a nod of her head "to finish his stint on the throne so I could get in the bathroom." This elicited a giggle from Liz and Alex, and Max narrowed his eyes at his sister. "What? I did have to wait!"

"Yeah, that was after she banged the bathroom door on my head-" Max began but was interrupted by his sister.

"Well, if you'd just lock the door…" Isabel said but was then interrupted by Kyle.

"Hey! Can we move past the sibling rivalry? I have other stuff to do today." Kyle said.

"Anyway" Max began again "After I washed my hands I opened the door to give my favorite sister a wet hand shake on her way in, and something happened when our eyes met."

"My headache instantly vanished, and we both remembered parts of the dream we had." Isabel finished for her brother.

Not paying attention to her hand, since she was paying close attention to Max and Isabel, Maria reached for her water, and knocked over the glass spilling cold water into Kyle's lap and all over the table in front of Michael and Tess.

Kyle howled "Aughghhg! That's cold!" and jumped up from the table so the rest of the water would drip off. Liz was reaching around Michael to hand Kyle some napkins when Michael and Tess made a grab for the glass at the same time. When their hands came in contact of the wet glass Michael's hand covered Tess' and they both got wet. When Tess looked over at Michael, she found that he was already looking down at her, and their pupils instantly dilated. After what seemed like a few minutes to them, but really only a second passed, they both dropped the glass and continued to stare heavily at each other.

Suddenly out of breath Michael touched Tess' face and said "Sihra…"

Tess grasped Michael's hand on her face and replied in awe "Jaiseti?"


	12. Chapter 12

_I'm sorry guys, but it seems that a lot of confusion was going around after the last chapter. Michael and Tess are NOT going to be together, as anything remotely romantic. As for the rest…the story will unfold (promise! ) ) __and answers will be had forall questions.For those of you who don't particularly like Kyle and Tess as an item, try to remember that in this story-their relationship is developing differently. There wasn't all that time, like in the series, where they developed and grew like family. From the very beginning of my story Tess and Kyle were drawn to each other. Although I am borrowing these characters, and much about the series itself, this will tell a whole new story. Please be patient with me and try and read it like that; as something new. New characters will be introduced, which will explain more, and things may not be what you think...but if I said any more right now, I'd give away my story! ) Thank you so much for your honesty, it really means a lot. I hope you guys keep reading and reviewing!_ _**ANW**_

**Chapter 12**

Everyone was silent after hearing Tess and Michael saying those strange names. Maria's jaw dropped completely open, and was looking at them like they'd lost their minds. Three seconds later, Max grabbed Michael by the shoulder and shook him.

"Michael, Michael are you ok?" Max asked him.

Kyle was doing the same thing to Tess since Tess was nearest to him. Tess and Michael both shook their heads, as if clearing their vision.

Tess looked back at Michael, and then at Max. Softly, and very slowly she said "Max,…Michael…is my brother…"

Michael, who was staring at Tess, looked away from her and put his hand on his forehead. He was trying to process what he had just seen. It was his dream, but in total clarity. He assumed Tess saw the same thing he just did, and he could not believe these implications. Tess was his sister? He finally found someone he could really call his family? "I'm having a really hard time thinking straight right now…" Michael mumbled.

Tess was now staring a hole into the wall, and had a tear falling down one cheek. Maria looked at Michael and saw that his eyes were misting over as well. She reached across the table and gently touched his arm. "Michael what did you just see?" she asked him.

"I…" he looked over at Tess, looking unsure if he should say. He felt an instant connection to her, and wanted to consider her feelings before saying anything further.

"…I mean, we…we saw…our birth."

Tess wiped her eyes, as now more tears were falling. "I had a dream last night…and when I woke up I couldn't remember all of it. It was mostly vague, except for knowing our planet's name is Antar, and I remember babies crying. After I woke up this morning, the dream was so vague, that I didn't even remember that I had it until what just happened." Tess said.

Michael looked around him at all the stupefied faces and took a deep breath. After letting it out he said, "I had the same dream this morning, right before getting up for work. I was remembering the same things as Tess had on the way to work this morning. When I got here though, I also forgot about it until our hands touched. That's when I felt pulled into the dream again."

"Me too..." Tess said.

Michael suddenly turned to Max and said "How long were we out Maxwell?"

"Maybe only three seconds passed before I touched your shoulder. Why, how long did it seem?" Max replied.

"It felt like I lived that dream…maybe 20 minutes? Tess?" Michael asked Tess for confirmation.

"Yeah Michael…that's about right." She replied.

"What did you see?" Isabel asked Tess and Michael.

Tess took a deep breath, and realized suddenly that she could read Michael's thoughts!

"Michael!- Can you hear me?" Tess asked in her head as she reached out with her mind.

"Tess…is that you?" Michael replied mentally.

"Oh my gosh Michael, I can't believe we can do this!" Tess said excitedly through their mental link. Tess and Michael were staring at each other, during this time, and had changing expressions. Of course they were also silent.

"Tess, I can't believe it…this is so weird! I guess maybe this is part of being brother and sister?" Michael asked.

"Maybe, I know about as much as you do right now. I think I might know how to show everyone, at the same time, our dream. Max can connect with Liz, so I don't see why the humans wouldn't be able to join in with all of us…you know, in one big connection." Tess replied.

"Guys?" Isabel asked both Tess and Michael.

"Helloooo?" Max and Kyle were now waving hands in front of Tess and Michael's faces.

"Sorry everyone" Tess said looking embarrassed. "We just got sort of caught up"

"Caught up in what?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, what were you guys doing? That was totally weird" Maria exclaimed.

"Weird was just the word I used…" Michael replied.

"Used for what? What happened?" Alex said now getting excited and anxious at the same time.

"Apparently, for our new connection." Tess said.

"Wait, wait, wait." Maria stated. "What new connection…" Maria couldn't yet put her mind around Tess being Michael's sister….much less them having a connection to each other!

Michael lowered his voice and leaned close to the table "We can speak telepathically Maria…in our heads."

"Ok, this is getting a little too deep. We need to go somewhere we can be alone to discuss this further…" Max said while his eyes darted around the room.

"Not to mention we still have to hear the dream!" Isabel stated quietly but impatiently.

"That's just what we were thinking" Michael said to the group.

"The break room is free right now" Liz said. "My dad is on the grill for another half hour, and my mom is at a friends house for the day."

"Great, because I need somewhere to process all of this without looking completely psychotic." Kyle said.

Everyone gave nervous laughs at that, and various exclamations of agreement. They slid or stood up out of their seats, and made their way to the break room. Once inside Michael and Tess explained to them Tess' idea of trying to form a link between them all so Tess and Michael could not just tell them the dream, but actually show it to them. They all agreed, and joined hands. The four aliens first reached out to one another to form the initial link. One by one they pulled the humans into it too. At first it wouldn't work. Isabel was trying to pull in Kyle, who was to her left, and it wouldn't work. Then as Alex squeezed her hand, from her left, she tried him next and he slid right in. Tess was on the other side of Kyle so Tess then tried Kyle and he slid in without a problem then. Since all that were left was Liz and Maria, Max pulled Liz in and Michael pulled Maria in. No one wondered why at first Isabel couldn't pull in Kyle. They all just assumed she was stressing out to much, and Alex helped her to relax enough to form the connection. As soon as everyone was in, Michael and Tess made their special link. Once this was accomplished within the connection, unbidden and without warning, the dream began.

**-Recap of the dream with the missing parts added-**

Tess and Michael were holding hands, up against the back wall in a dimly lit room. The temperature was again, about 60 degrees, like their last dream; the air still hazy with a kind of spicy, sweet smoke. Their eyes were drawn to the woman in front of them as she screamed. She was again laying down on a slightly inclined surface. Around the woman were the two other figures, who were assisting her with giving birth. This time the dream was very clear to Tess & Michael. They were taking in every detail as the scene in front of them unfolded. Her first baby, a boy, was born and handed to the woman on her left. As the woman was just sighing from the last push she gave, she let out another scream, and the other person in the room, a man, said "Another?" The woman, holding the crying baby boy, blew on what looked like an incense burner and instructed the woman in labor to breathe in deeply-that it would help give her strength to push again. After another scream and much effort, the second child was born and handed to the now calm and smiling woman. The second baby had a golden sheen on her head that could be seen through the haze.

The man said, "Andrina…this baby is female…what will we do?"

The woman waved her hand over her daughter, and the evidence of just being born was wiped away. Then she replied, "I will name her Sihra (pronounced Seerha), because she will be "my light".

The man continued, "Andrina, my love, you know we will have to send her to Kentwaisis, she can't stay here on Antar…it is the law…" he said as the baby girl was crying.

"Shh, shhh" Andrina cooed to the restless baby in her arms "All will be worked out Jameus…for this day has been foretold…many years ago."

Jameus took their other baby, a son, out of the other woman's hands, cleaned him in the same way, and sent the woman out of the room. "Andrina, what are you saying?"

"I have known this day would be coming for a long time now. The wise woman Bethsheta told me on her deathbed of its coming. She told me I'd give birth to twins, whose births would lead the way to redemption for our people."

"How can this be?" Jameus asked.

"The prophecy has been given, but the road ahead is unmarked. We will have to use our greatest judgment and raise our son in the best way we can. Unfortunately we will have to watch our daughter grow from afar..."

"You mean send her away to Kentwaisis?" Jameus asked.

"No, I have made arrangements for her to live with Mayverna and Lyatso. They agreed, long ago, to take her when the time arrived…she will be well taken care of." Andrina breathed in her daughter's fresh scent, and kissed the top of her golden head. "Please call them Jameus, the sooner the be-eh-ter" she said with a catch in her throat. "Even though I have known this day would come, I don't want to let her go!"

Andrina cried silent tears as she rocked her baby and Jameus, after handing Andrina the other baby, left the room.

Andrina leaned over her new baby boy and said, "I will name you Jaiseti which means great strength…I fear you will need all the strength you have for the road ahead." She hugged both of her children to her breast and cried more silent tears, knowing this was probably the last time she'd hold both of her children in her arms at the same time.

Suddenly Andrina was standing right in front of Michael and Tess. She was dressed in a flowing white gown, which was slightly iridescent. Her blue eyes were a clear blue and her soft brown hair fell in long waves. "My special children, Sihra and Jaiseti, you have lived before. You were chosen to fulfill a very important journey. Your destiny was interrupted when your enemies killed you on that horrible day, but our technology has allowed us to clone you. Evil may gain a foot by devious devices, but fate will always triumph! We on Antar are all essentially human, just with advanced capabilities, so we have sent you to earth to grow and mature. Your guardians, Mayverna and Layatso, were sent with you to protect you as you grow. Trust them for while you grew here, they kept you safe my daughter, and taught you well my son. As of now you have seen only your beginning. Please do not be frightened, all will be revealed to you in due time. Love each other, and protect each other, for you are family. Two others of the royal family have been sent with you as well who are also extremely important for our redemption to come to pass. Each one of you has been seeded with dreams that will awaken your past and help you learn what you will need to know. You also have special talents, that will develop, that will aid you on this great journey. As each of the four of you find out more, through your dreams, you will soon know what you have been born to do. Before we sent you to earth we deliberated about how best to teach you of your past and the prophecies. This dream technology proved to be the safest, most effective, way of letting you learn who you are. Our enemies continue to look for you, and without any physical evidence of who you are, this hopefully will aid in protecting your identities. On your 2nd earth year, you will look approximately 7 years old. Now your dreams will begin in full force. Spend as much time with each other as you can, and while you are together, your essences will have a chance to mingle with your dreams…giving you knowledge that will help you on your journey. You, my daughter and son, must be within 4 mekatis, a distance of 6 earth miles, of each other in order to awaken your dreams to their fullest capacity. I'm sure you will have no problem with being near each other, because I know as you learned to speak, you felt your familial connection almost instantly to each other. I pray that that connection has made you very close, and has helped you feel loved, since I can't be there to care for you. I leave you with one last instruction my children. Upon waking each morning, wet your hands and join them with each other. This will allow your dreams to replay in your heads as often as you want to better aid you with retaining what you saw. After joining hands once, the dream will be able to be replayed as many times as you would like. Somehow the conductive property of water, and your connection to each other, helps the dream to solidify in your essences. You will also be able to share your dreams with your fellow court members by connecting to each other. Don't worry, in time you will know how to do this too" She said with a smile. "On your 11th earth year, you will look approximately 16 years old, and will now be ready to return home. All will have been revealed to you by this time, and all that will be left to do is to walk through the door of fate. You may, around this time, be treated with a low regard as being 'too young' on the planet you are on now, but never forget who you are. You are Antarian Royalty…at least you will be when you return. The means to get here will also be revealed to you in due time. Have patience my children and faith in each other. The strength of four combined will forever bind you. I know I will see you some day and I pray this time comes with much haste. We did not think redemption would come at the cost it has, but are strengthened daily by the hope of your return. I love you with all that is in me, and long to have you with me again, so I can once more hold my children in my arms…

With that last statement Andrina put her hand over her heart, and she winked out of sight.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

With a rush of air, that felt like a wind tunnel, the connection broke between the eight friends. They all breathed out heavily, were all still holding hands, and everyone had tears in their eyes. This dream had so many implications, and everyone was extremely overwhelmed. The boys, the alien boys of course, quickly waved a hand in front of their face to erase the signs of tears. Kyle and Alex let go of the hands around them and quickly turned to wipe at their eyes. Isabel looked stunned and just stood their in silence with tears running down her cheeks.

Tess walked over to Isabel and touched her on the arm. "Hey, it's ok. I know that was hard to watch…" she said while wiping at her eyes. "…I think seeing my mother brought up more questions than answers."

Isabel turned to Tess and tried to smile, hiding her pain… "Oh, I know…"she said while wiping at her cheeks. "…It was just a little overwhelming, that's all. Don't worry about me ok?" Isabel said while pulling Tess into a hug. "We just met your mom!"

"I know…" Tess said with a bright smile. "I can't believe I lived this whole time on earth, and I really do have a mom who wants me somewhere. I've always felt so abandoned, and now…I can't believe it! I'm so happy!" Tess exclaimed while giving Isabel a fierce hug back.

Tess then turned to Michael and pulled him into a hug while Alex walked over to Isabel. "He Iz, are you ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah Alex, I'm fine. That was just so big…and there is so much we still don't know. I guess that we are on the right track though finally" she said while forcing a smile.

Alex could see right through her fake happiness, and knew something was bothering her. He decided not to push it though, since they would be alone very soon, and he would bring it up then. For the moment he just offered her a hug, and she gratefully stepped into his embrace.

Tess, once she finished hugging Michael, told him "Well brother, I guess we aren't alone in the world anymore!"

Michael was somewhat stiff during the hug, and was still looking uncomfortable. He was not used to showing so much emotion, so he just shrugged and said "I guess so" with a strained smile.

"Ok, well we'll talk later Michael." Tess said as she turned to walk away. She could tell he wasn't quite ready for much PDA and left Michael standing with Maria while she strolled over to where Kyle was standing looking dejected.

Kyle, seeing Tess coming up to him, quickly schooled his features and said enthusiastically "Wow Tess, well I guess you are a princess after all huh? Or something like it…royalty…wow. This must be so huge for you, and Michael is your brother! You have a real brother-" Kyle knew he was babbling and was happy when Tess interrupted him.

"Kyle! Thanks for all the enthusiasm, it really means a lot. I don't think we know a lot of useful information though right now. My mom…wow…I have a mom! I still can't believe it!" she said while still smiling from ear to ear.

"I hope you get to meet her one day…" Kyle said with a far away look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Kyle, I know your mom left when you were really little…Jim told me" Tess said kind of embarrassed. "I didn't think how my excitement about my mom would make you feel" she said with her eyes on the floor.

Kyle took a step closer to Tess and picked up her chin to look in her eyes "Tess, I'm happy for you…really. I'm glad that you have this chance, even though I don't know if I ever will. You are very lucky, and I couldn't be happier for you" he said while pulling her into a hug.

Tess felt like crying all over again being in Kyle's arms. It's where she had felt drawn to be since their first meeting. She gave a small sigh of contentment and hugged him back.

Maria leaned over to Michael when Tess walked away and said "Wow spaceboy, you have a family…and a sister right here in Roswell! Can you believe it!"

Michael crossed his arms over his chest and said "No, I don't think I really can right now. This is so much Maria. I wish I could just-"

"Michael" Mr. Parker interrupted Michael as he walked through the swinging door. "We are starting to fill up out there, and Jose needs your help. Hurry up!"

Maria put her on Michael's arm and gave it a squeeze. "It's ok, we can talk later, ok?"

Instead of making a sarcastic remark Michael found himself replying to Maria "Ok". He thought internally "What just happened?" but before he could ponder that polite response further, Maria started saying hurried goodbyes to everyone then strolled through the dining room door to her waiting tables. Michael followed her lead and made his way to the grill, his mind churning with confusion and a new enlightenment he was yet to understand.

Alex and Isabel gave their goodbye's and took the back door exit. Kyle and Tess did the same, deciding to go home and tell Jim what they had just seen.

That left Max and Liz alone in the break room. "I thought they would never leave" Max said while pulling Liz close.

"Maaax, don't you feel a little weird to be getting so cozy with me after all that's happened?" Liz asked while looking up into his eyes.

Max kissed her on the forehead and replied "Liz you are right. There is a lot of information we found out today. You know what though? We still aren't even close to having all the answers we need. With so many unknowns in my life, I'm glad I'm still sure of one thing."

"What's that?" Liz asked with a coy smile.

"You know what." Max replied While guiding her mouth to his. Liz was always unable to resist Max while in his arms and relaxed into his kiss.

Just then the swinging door opened and Liz's dad popped his head in. He cleared his throat and gave Max a "You better watch in buddy" look.

"Liz, we are starting to get busy out here. Are you sure you don't want to make some extra money today?"

"No dad, me and Max have plans. We were just leaving…" she said as she grabbed Max's hand and started dragging him out the back door.

Max shot Mr. Parker a helpless look and Mr. Parker said "Ok, well…you two be careful!"

"We will dad, see you later tonight!" Liz replied while the door was closing behind her. Mr. Parker rolled his eyes. He thought to himself that his daughter really was seeing that Max boy pretty often. He then hurried back into the dinging room to see where he could help out his staff.

Michael was just putting one of his finished dishes up in the pick up area when Maria walked over. "Is that for table 10?" she asked.

Michael found himself flustered all of a sudden and bit out without thinking "Yeah, I'm here to cook just for your tables of course."

Maria looked hurt, and took the plate away without another word. Michael pressed the heel of his palm to his head and thought to himself "What is wrong with me? Why is she getting to me so much?"

Jose looked over at Michael from where he was frying up some onion rings and said "You sure have a funny way of showing that girl that you like her."

"I don't 'like' her Jose." Michael said sarcastically.

Jose held up his hands in surrender and said "Hey man, I call 'em how I se 'em…and you my friend are in love with that one" he said while gesturing in Maria's direction with his head.

Michael just turned and muttered "Whatever" while preparing his next plate. All of a sudden Tess was in his head.

"Michael you really are in denial you know." She said mentally.

"Tess, why are you in my head right now?" Michael asked her.

"I was just testing out this connection. The sheriff doesn't live that far from the Crashdown, and I wondered if I could still talk to you from home."

"Well I guess you found out you can, huh?" Michael asked her. "How long have you been hanging around in my head Tess?"

"Long enough to know that you are denying your feelings for Maria. Why don't you just talk to her? Tell her how you feel." She asked.

"I don't know how" he admitted quickly. "Wait, did I just say that?" he asked her in his head.

"Yes brother you did." Tess said while giggling in his head.

"I didn't want to tell you that though." Michael said getting irritated.

Tess sighed inside the connection, and replied "Well, I think we just figured out something about our connection."

"What's that?" Michael asked.

"That we can't hide our true feelings from each other in here. I guess that could be a good thing and a bad thing…." Tess said uncertainly.

"Hey Tess…how do you really feel about Kyle?" Michael asked quickly with an internal smile.

"Well, I think he's really hot and I SO don't think of him as a brother. I'm just waiting for him to ask me out and-HEY! You aren't supposed to ask me that!" Tess said while getting pretty irritated herself.

Michael laughed inside their connection and said "See? You didn't like it much when I did that did you?"

Tess huffed in response and said "Ok ok, I'll try and not ask you embarrassing questions too much. Well, at least now that you know how I feel about Kyle, we can talk about it." Tess said.

"I really don't want to hear about you and Kyle thanks" Michael replied.

"Ok, we don't have to talk about him, but really Michael, you should tell Maria how you feel. She's crazy about you, I can tell." Tess said very matter of fact.

"Oh really?" Michael asked. "Ok Ms. Know it All, how do you think I should go about this? I'm not exactly known for my suave ways around here."

"Just be sensitive to her Michael. She's waiting for you to make the first move that much I'm sure of. I know! Just help her out at work today. Bus her tables when she's on break, get her orders out super fast, that kind of stuff. She'll be really impressed with you. Then later, when she's almost off her shift, ask her what her plans are for the night. See if she takes the hint." Tess advised.

"No promises over here, but I'll try." Michael said with a mental sigh. "I never thought I'd be admitting my feelings to anyone like this."

Tess smiled internally and said "Well, I bet you thought you'd never have a real sister either!"

"Ok sis, gotta get to work, you can get out of my head now!" Michael said.

"Pushy, pushy …I'm outta here" and with that, he could feel Tess pop out of his head. When he looked up, he saw Maria staring right into his eyes.

"Tess?" she inquired.

"Yeah, she was testing her range" he replied. "I have your other order right here, and sorry for earlier" he said quickly. Then he turned back to the grill before she could reply.

Maria just smiled to herself and quickly picked up the plate he had just put down for her. As she turned to walk to her table she knew, without a doubt, that not one plate would burn her hand today and she felt a familiar warm feeling in her tummy. She thought to herself "Maybe today…maybe today he will finally tell me!"

_I have some unpleasant news for those of you who are reading this. I'm going on vacation with my husband for 4 weeks and probably won't get to post again until sometime the first month of June. I may get a chance to post one more time before then, but I'm not sure. I will try and get some time on a computer while we are away, but no promises! This is my first vacation in a LONG time, and I don't know if I will have access to a computer. I am as anxious to write this story though, as you are to read it, so I promise not to forget about you guys! ) Thanks for reading, and please keep the comments coming…I'll update again as soon as I can! -**ANW**_


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you to all of you who have been waiting patiently for me to update. My vacation was wonderful as Pennslyvania is beautiful this time of year, and my husbands family is wonderful. I have two chapters to load up today and here they come! Please review! ) )_

**Chapter 14**

Alex was fiddling with the edge of his shirt, obviously nervous, and quietly walking by Isabel's side down Main Street. Isabel had her arms crossed across her chest and was looking away from Alex's direction. He could tell her eyes were still a little misty, and debated breaking the silence. He took a deep breath and was about to tell her how pretty he thought her outfit was when Isabel spoke up.

"I still can't believe it Alex…" she said quietly. I really thought Andrina was my mother…Max's mother…I feel so jealous of Tess and I know I shouldn't!" she ended on a frustrated note, throwing her hand out in front of her.

Alex took the opportunity to slowly grasp her left hand with his right, and pull her to a stop. He wasn't sure if she would let him hold her hand, but he just couldn't resist somehow making contact with her to give her comfort. Isabel was kind of startled at the sudden close physical proximity, but did not even think of pulling her hand away.

"Iz, it's ok to feel a little jealous. I know I'd feel jealous too if I was in your shoes. You just have to not lose hope that you will meet your mother as well. I mean, you guys have just cracked the surface of really understanding your dreams, it would seem, and who knows what you will learn next!" Alex grinned at Isabel then and said "Don't be so hard on yourself."

Isabel took a quiet breath in through her mouth then looked down at Alex's shoes "Alex, thank you for that. It really means a lot to me that I can talk to you like this. I know I can always talk to Max or Michael…but with you, it's different…" She hesitantly looked up to meet his eyes "…I just feel completely safe with you. I feel like I can tell you anything…Wow, did I just say that?" Isabel asked Alex looking slightly dazed.

"Uh, yeah you did" Alex replied with a goofy grin coming on.

"What are you doing to me Alex?" Isabel asked with a blush on her cheeks anda big grin appearing on her face. "It's like you make me so comfortable, I don't feel the compulsion to hide any of my feelings."

Alex gave Isabel's hand a squeeze and said "Well, honestly Iz, I can't even believe we are here right now, walking down mainstreet…" Alex looks over into Isabel's eyes and says quietly "…holding hands…" Before he loses all of his nerve he looks straight ahead and tells Isabel "Thanks."

"For what?" she replied.

"For giving me this chance…to be your friend, maybe more than a friend…" Isabel gave him a sideways glance. "Whatever you are comfortable with I mean…" Alex stammers.

This time it's Isabel's turn to look into Alex's eyes "Alex, I told you before you are on the inside, and I meant it. I didn't know what I really meant though until right now. When I'm around you, you do things to me. You make my heart happy." Isabel then looked away, suddenly overwhelmed with the new warm feelings coursing through her, but she still does not pull her hand out of his. "You are inside my heart Alex…even if you have green toenails!" She cracked a joke, in an attempt to lighten the rapidly increasing emotional moment.

"Heeey!" Alex exclaims, feigning being hurt "Can't a man have green toenails and not be chided?" This elicits a giggle from Isabel.

"So what movie do you want to see Alex? The Green Mile Maybe? Green Goblins?" Isabel is now laughing so hard she has to hold her sides feeling that they will burst.

"Ha Ha, Miss Isabel, why don't we see Signs or My Stepmother is an Alien? Alex replies.

"Alex, your stepmother is an alien? You never told me we might be related!" Isabel says in a low tone as she continues to laugh till tears are coming out of her eyes.

Alex pretends to huff in exasperation, but really he feels warm all over. He just made his beautiful princess laugh till she cried. He gave a mental sigh of contentment as he dragged Isabel into the theatre still in a laughing fit. He thought to himself "Life is good."

Michael was keeping himself occupied on the grill, while his thoughts were all on Maria. He had taken Tess' advice about helping Maria out with her tables, and had made double sure that all of her orders came out correct in an effort to catch her attention, but she didn't seem to be treating him any different. It was busy that day though, so maybe she was just caught up.

"Ow!" Michael exclaimed as he stuck his thumb in his mouth. Lost in thought, he hadn't been paying close attention, and when his thumb slipped off of the spatula and onto the grill, he got a hot wake up call.

"Hey man, you need to wake up." José said with a warning look. "If you burn your hand, then I'll have to do all the work!"

"Don't tempt me…" Michael shot back.

Just then Maria came up to the order counter. "What can I get for you mi vida?" José asked.

Maria rolled her eyes and said "I need what Michael has José" Maria replied pointing at Michael. Michael practically jumped out of his skin when he heard those words come out of her mouth, and then relaxed as he realized he was holding a Men in Black Bean Burger, and Orbit Rings-her next order. Michael put the plate on the counter and looked up to meet Maria's eyes.

"Thanks spaceboy." Maria said with a small smile, and she turned to walk away.

"Hey Guerin, I think I know why that chika calls you spaceboy all the time." José said.

Inwardly cringing to ask the question he knew he had to ask back Michael replied "Yeah, why is that?"

"Your head is always in space when you are around her! Come down to earth spaceboy, and get your head out of the clouds. You better make a move on that one before I do!" José said with a wink.

Michael grumbled to José that he was going on a break, and hung his apron on the hook by the door. He knew Maria was due for a break too, and was going to attempt to find out her plans for the evening like Tess suggested.

"You will never go wrong following my advice, good luck Bro!" he heard Tess say in his head.

"Tess! Get out of my head, this will be hard enough as it is without you in there making me more antsy." Michael replied.

"Ok, ok brother. I just wanted to wish you luck. Kyle is calling me anyway. Talk to you soon!" Tess said with an internal wink.

"Not too soon I hope…" Michael replied with a big sigh, but Tess was already out of his head.

Michael walked into the dining room just as Maria was entering the break room and the door banged into them both. Michael resisted the urge to yell at whoever was on the other side and opened the door wide. Maria was standing there with a chocolate shake dripping down the front of her waitress outfit. Maria brushed past Michael in a flurry and unlike him, she wasn't resisting any urge to make a comment.

"Michael! Auuughgh! This is so cold! There goes my snack..." Shewhined as she hurriedly picked up a towel from the bathroom and started wiping at her dress. "Chocolate stains you know, oooh… this is my last dress without any stains" she said starting to get emotional.

Michael was at a loss for words at the moment. He had wanted to get Maria's attention today, but this was not the way he had envisioned. He thought to himself "Can't I do anything right?" Then he got an idea.

He walked over to her and said "Maria, stop."

"Michael, I have to get this chocolate off, or it will stain my dress! Now I'll have to buy another one-"

"Maria! Just stop for a second…" he said as he caught her frantically wiping hand in one of his and used his other hand to wave over the front of her dress, erasing any signs of milkshake from it.

Now it was Maria's turn to be at a loss for words. She stood there silent, with her mouth slightly open, trying to think of what to say. Michael was just standing their speechless too, and he wasn't walking away from her like he usually would in a situation like this one. When she realized he was also still holding her hand, she looked up to meet his eyes and was even more surprised when she heard the next words to exit his mouth.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" he asked without taking his eyes away from hers.

"I…um…no, not really." She replied while wiping tucking her hair behind her left hear.

"Do you want to come by the apartment later and watch TV? I know a hockey game is coming on that I wanted to see and we could pick up some Chinese food—what? Why area you making a face? He asked her.

Maria's face had been looking hopeful until he got to the part about the hockey game. "A hockey game?" she thought to herself. "Sorry for that, I really have a hard time keeping my feelings from escaping my head and onto my face." she replied.

"What, this conversation is making you feel bad or something?" Michael replied.

"No, no. That's not what I'm saying." She said while gesturing with her free hand. "That really sounds like fun Michael, how about if I drop by around 8?" Maria said while schooling her features and slightly cocking her head to one side.

"Ok, see you then…" Michael said as he pulled his hand away from hers and made a beeline for the kitchen.

Maria wastaken abackfrom the sudden loss she felt at having Michael take his hand away, but felt warmth permeating her belly as she contemplated tonight. Even if it was a hockey game, she'd get to spend some alone time with Michael. She smoothed her hair, and smiled to herself in the bathroom mirror and then made her way out to the dining room. She couldn't wait for her shift to be over so she could call Liz, and get home to put on a killer outfit. Michael was in for a treat!

At 6:55 p.m. Maria was wiping down tables in a routine motion, having done it a million times before. She was thinking to herself "Only five more minutes, only five more minutes, only five more minutes." She looked up at the clock, and continued with her internal mantra. "Only four more minutes, only four more minutes…" Just then the bells on the front door jingled and she saw Liz walking in with Max. They were laughing and hanging all over each other. Maria rolled her eyes and straightened up just as Liz walked over to her. Max headed for his usual booth and continued to stare in Liz's direction.

"Walk with me Maria." Liz said with a big grin.

"Ok" she replied and wasn't allowed to say anything else because Liz was pulling her by her arm into the break room. Once they were inside Liz released her arm.

"Oh my gosh Maria, I just had the best day!" Liz said with a contented sigh as she sunk down on the couch.

"Max took me to the park, and we just walked around for hours just holding hands. We fed the ducks, and those huge goldfish in the park pond…" Maria came over and quietly sat down next to her, with a big smile on her face.

"Wait, why do you have that smile on your face? I know that smile isn't because of the day I had!" she said while poking her friend in the ribs.

"Michael invited me over tonight…"she said while clasping her hands together over her knees.

"I told you Maria! I knew that guy would eventually come around." Liz replied.

"Well, it's not that special" Maria began "we're only watching a hockey game and eating Chinese food."

Liz pushed her friend's right shoulder gently and said "It's a start though right? You can't expect him to be all Don Juan or something right off the bat"

"Yeah, I guess so." Maria replied while beginning to blush. "I was just thinking about what outfit I can wear tonight to see if Don Juan wants to come out and play."

"Well, Max is going home in a few minutes, I was just going to pull a pie out of the cooler for him to take home with him. I could go to your house to help you pick something out…" Liz said with a calculating look at Maria.

"Ok, well hurry, it's 7 and I said I'd be there at 8." Maria said while getting up and pulling her friend to her feet as well.

"Ok, Ok Maria…sheesh. You are acting like you like this guy or something." Liz said with a laugh as she went over to the cooler and pulled out a Chocolate cream pie for Max.

"I'll be right back. Try not to hurt yourself while I'm gone" Liz said with a giggle. Maria rolled her eyes and went to the bathroom to change out of her uniform.


	15. Chapter 15

_Another new one. Please Review! )_

**Chapter 15**

Maria was standing outside of Michael's door working up the courage to knock. She was wearing her favorite blue jeans that accentuated curvy hips she knew she didn't have. On top was a red v-neck tank top with wide, stretch lace for straps. Around her neck was a silver necklace with a letter M on it. Liz thought this was a great touch since Maria and Michael's names both started with an M. Maria had protested, but in the end had relented and worn it, just to shut Liz up; or so she told herself. After a quick shower, and getting dressed, Liz gave her friend a quick pedicure matching her toes to her top. While Liz was doing that, Maria applied a thin line of black eyeliner to her top lids, light and medium brown shimmer eye shadow, and black mascara to her eyelashes. She had finished off the look by applying a little mousse to her slightly damp hair, and her signature pink lip gloss that went perfectly with her complexion. In short, she knew she'd get Michael's attention with this outfit.

"You are going to kill him!" Liz had said as Maria was running out to her car. "I'll see you later!" she said as she waved at her frantic friend.

"Wish me luck!" Maria said just before she closed her door.

Now she was trying to picture what Michael's face would look like when he opened the door. Just then the door opened from the inside and suddenly she didn't have to wonder anymore. Though the face she saw was not one she was expecting.

"Why didn't you knock? You have been out there for 5 minutes." Michael said looking annoyed. "The game is about to start. Come in." he said while Maria walked through his front door.

She took in her surroundings as Michael walked into the kitchen. Well, it wasn't the cleanest apartment, but at least he seemed to have tidied up the TV room area. The glass topper on the coffee table was cleared, but there was a few water marks left behind by glasses. The trash appeared to all be in the trash can, but it really needed to be taken out before it overflowed. Maria sighed and sat down on the couch.

"Hey, aren't you going to come and get some food?" Michael inquired from within the kitchen.

"Ok…" Maria said quietly under her breath as she put her hands on her knees to push herself up.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I got a couple different things." Michael said while pointing to Lemon Chicken, and Moo Goo Gai Pan. Maria was relieved as she loved Moo Goo Gai Pan. She could eat those baby corn's all day.

"I'll take some Moo Goo if that's ok." Maria told Michael, and he served her in silence. After giving her a generous portion he handed her the plate.

"Thanks" Maria said after taking the plate I her hand. She then headed over to the kitchen table where Michael indicated the rice was. While serving herself some white rice, she saw Michael putting Tabasco Sauce on his serving of Moo Goo, and then adding sugar to his Lemon Sauce. "Ewww" she thought to herself, and then took a seat on the couch. "Alien tastes are so weird" she continued to think.

"I have Apple and Kiwi/Strawberry Snapple" Michael called from the kitchen.

"I like the Kiwi/Strawberry the best" she called back.

He came over to the couch setting down his food on the coffee table, and handing Maria one of the Snapple drinks in his hands.

"Kiwi/Strawberry is my favorite too it would seem" Michael said while looking at the TV and not making too much of a deal about it.

Maria just tilted her head to the side and thought "Here we go." While opening the top of her Snapple and taking a drink.

45 minutes into the hockey game, and finished with her food, Maria asked Michael where the bathroom was.

"It's over there" he pointed to a door adjacent to the kitchen.

Maria got up and walked over to the restroom, closing the door behind her.

Once she left the room, a commercial came on that started Michael thinking. It was a commercial about some new cocoa product, and showed people snuggling near a fire, drinking cocoa. He wondered if he would be able to get that close to Maria tonight. He doubted it. With Tess in his head, how could he expect to have any privacy? Even though that outfit Maria had on was driving him crazy! After eating her food, she had looked overly bored watching the game. He knew he should have rented a movie. At least he had remembered to clean the towel in the bathroom. He picked up the plates and the empty Snapple bottles and took them into the kitchen. Seeing the overflowing garbage can, he picked up the bag and squished everything down into it so he could close it. As he was taking the garbage outside he heard a familiar voice in his head.

"How is the date going bro?" Tess asked.

"I don't know Tess. I knew I should have rented a movie tonight, but I really wanted to see this hockey game. Maria is completely bored I can tell."

He walked back into the apartment and put a new bag in the trash can, dropping the empty paper plates, and Snapple bottles inside.

"Well, maybe you could suggest to change the channel or something. Kyle is taping that game because he's doing something in the garage with his dad tonight. You can watch it later." Tess encouraged.

"Oh, alright-hey wait, I can hear Maria talking to herself in the bathroom." Michael replied. "I'm going to go and listen.

"I don't know if that's such a great idea Michael." Tess said but Michael walked over anyway and quietly put his ear to the door.

Once Maria got into the restroom, she leaned against the door and took a deep breath. She started thinking to herself. "This outfit is wasted, he didn't even notice it." She started muttering under her breath as she washed her hands. When she wiped her hands on a surprisingly clean towel, she heard her cell phone vibrate in her pants pocket.

"Hello?" she whisperd.

"Maria, it's me. How is it going?" Liz said.

"Horrible" Maria replied, "I don't even think Michael noticed what I'm wearing, he's so into that hockey game. It's so boring Liz! I knew hockey was a sport, but it's more like the WWF! Everyone picking fights…" Maria said while sighing.

"Maria, give Michael a chance. Max said he really loves hockey, so you should at least attempt to have a good time." Liz replied.

"Oh, alright Liz" Maria said while checking her hair in the mirror. "Let me let you go, because if not, Michael will wonder what I'm doing in the bathroom for so long."

"Ok, well call me after ok?" Liz replied.

"Talk to you then" Maria said and then put her phone back in her pocket.

"Michael? Michael what are you doing?" Tess said in Michael's head.

"Shhhhh!" He replied.

As he listened to Maria's voice he heard her say how much she thought hockey was boring, and she was comparing it to the WWF! He thought to himself "How could she think that about his favorite sport! Wait, she was talking to Liz in there? She was telling Liz all this stuff?" he was getting angrier by the minute.

"Michael! Calm down. Hockey CAN be like wrestling with all the fights." Tess said trying to help the situation just as Maria was walking out of the bathroom.

"Get out of my head TESS" Michael said as he forced her out with a mental shove, snapping their connection off like an off switch.

"You think Hockey is boring?" Michael exclaimed to Maria.

"You think it's like the WWF?" Michael said even louder.

"I don't hate hockey ok Michael!" Maria shouted back. "but isn't this supposed to be a date or something tonight? You don't watch hockey with a date! You rent a movie or something...something we both like." Maria shouted with her hands on her hips.

"For your information, I was going to rent a movie, but I really wanted to see this game. I was just going to suggest we watch something that you wanted to now, since Kyle is taping this game anyway." Michael said in a normal tone.

"You mean you knew Kyle was taping this game, and you wanted to see it now anyway?" Maria exclaimed.

"No, Tess just told me that" Michael replied.

"Tess? Tess! Is that girl always in your head now? How can I have a night alone with you with her in there all the time?" Maria shouted.

"Tess isn't in my head all the time" he shouted back. "and correct me if I'm wrong here, but weren't you just in there talking to Liz? In my head or on the phone, you weren't exactly keeping yourself all for me tonight either." Michael said with a smirk on his face.

"Well, she called me and-"

"And Tess called me too, so to speak. I had just kicked her out of my head when you came out. Wait." Michael looked to the side and tilted his head slightly "I kicked her out of my head, and she's not in there…I didn't know I could even do that!" He said to Maria now smiling slightly. He took a step towards her now.

"Michael what's the matter?" Maria asked him as Michael took another step towards her.

"Tess isn't in my head." He replied while backing her into a wall.

"So why are you looking at me like that now." Maria said while leaning against the wall and looking up into Michaels eyes.

"She won't know I'm doing this…" he said as he lowered his head down and his lips met hers.

"Yes, yes, YES!" Maria thought in her mind as she wrapped her arms around Michaels neck as he gathered her in at the waist.

He broke the kiss for a moment and looked into her eyes "By the way, did I mention that outfit you have on is pretty hot?" he breathed into her mouth.

"I think you just did…she replied as she pulled his mouth back down to hers."


	16. Chapter 16

_I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. This part has a couple of new dreams that will begin to unfold the tale of Antar-before Earth. More dreams to come shortly, please review:) ANW_

**Chapter 16**

Sunday night, Isabel found herself tossing and turning. Her hair was plastered to her face in stringy strands and her head felt like it was going to explode. Aggravated, she laid down flat on her back, and tried to calm her breathing. After tucking her hair behind her ears, she waved a hand across her face to dry the sweat that had formed. She was ready to call Max and have him attempt to heal her headache so she could try and get some sleep when she felt pulled into a dream.

She could see two women talking at an oval table. The table was a clear green color, not unlike glass, but a little darker. The women were seated on chairs of a similar material, but they were not clear. In front of them was what she assumed was food. One big plate of a clay or plaster material, the color of the grass on Antar, was in the middle of the table with dollops of some kind of golden yellow food. The dollops were sparkling the way a cookie would when sprinkled with sugar. Suddenly the two woman's faces came into focus. One she immediately recognized as Andrina. The other she recognized as well, but it was like from a deep seeded memory. "Mother" Isabel whispered. The woman she recognized as her mother, stood and walked over to Isabel.

"My daughter, when you see this dream you will not remember my name. It is Dinah, and yours is Megaris."

Isabel's breath caught in her throat at seeing her mother, and tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she took in how beautiful she was. She was wearing a dress very similar to Andrina's but it was a deep purple color, gathered at the waist by golden cords. She wore a thin, delicate golden crown of the same gold cord material, woven through her hair, on her head as well.

"I know from the dream, that should have already been shared by Sihra and Jaiseti, that you know a little about them and why you are on Earth; but not really anything about yourself. In your other dreams I'm sure you have seen our planet and experienced events in your life here, but do you know who you are? You were my princess; my beautiful princess Megaris. You were beloved by our people for your kind heart and charming ways. When you were killed that fateful day, a part of me died with you and I miss you deeply. You will have to be strong Megaris for the times to come. Your brother and you will need each other for your different abilities as well as your mutual encouragement as you grow and mature. Always keep each other safe. Know that I love you and your brother--and your father, Salvetar, adores you both. We both live for the day when we can hold you and your brother Manais again. You both have an important role to fill, and we pray you take courage. The night after you were killed, Andrina came to me and told me Sihra was her daughter. At that moment I knew the prophecy could still be fulfilled. I shared with her our new cloning technology and that very night we cloned Sihra, Jaeseti and you and your brother as well. "The Power of Four Combined" will not die as our enemies would have it. As Destiny would have it, fate has bigger plans for you and the others my daughter. The reason we sent you to Earth holds more than just a place to grow and mature, for the royal four, but for safety's sake this information will be given to you closer to the time of your departure. Always follow your heart my darling, for it will never lead you astray. You will see me again soon…Each time more frequent until the time of your homecoming arrives. I love you Megaris…always…"

Tess was sleeping fitfully, so much so that she thought maybe a change of scenery would help. Sometimes, when she was at a foster home with noisy people, she'd steal outside during the night and sleep under the stars in a sleeping bag or the like. The night air with the beautiful starlit view always seemed to calm her. Tess sat up and swung her legs out of bed, taking her comforter with her and walked to the back door. Quietly unlocking the sliding glass, she walked gingerly outside to the hammock and laid down. Almost instantly she was asleep.

Tess found herself surrounded in a field of blue, the tall grass swaying gently in a cool breeze. As she turned to look around, one blonde curl blew across her face. She tucked her hair behind her ears so it would not block her vision as she continued to look around. The breeze was rather chilly, and she ran her hands across her arms as goose bumps arose. Suddenly she saw Max across the field, standing in a gazebo type structure. It was tall by earth standards, and completely see-through. Tess couldn't tell if the structure was made of a soft blue glass type of material, or if it was clear and just picking up a blue tint from the grass. Not knowing what else to do, Tess walked over to the structure to see if she could talk to him. When she got nearby, she could hear him talking to someone. As she climbed the steps Max came into focus, as well as the person he was talking to. It was her! She stood numbly in place, as she listened to the conversation unfold in front of her.

"Sihra, we have been friends along time right?" the person that looked like Max asked.

"Yes Manais, but how can we do this? I don't love you…well, I do…you know I do!" she said while giving Manais a mischievous smile.

"…but I don't love you like that, and I know you don't love me like that either." She finished with a sad sigh.

Manais took a step and sat down next to Sihra putting an arm around her shoulders. "Sihra, I know our love is not that of soul mates, but maybe it could grow to be that. We have to do whatour parents ask of us. We have no other choice." He told her gently.

Sihra, who had been staring at her hands in her lap, now looked up into Manais' eyes. "And what of Karindra? You have been betrothed to her since your birth! Your marriage to her would unite Antar and Kentwaisis for all time! I just don't understand your parents!" she finished with small sob.

"I know, I don't understand their methods either Sihra but I do know that I've known you my whole life. If I have to be married to someone that isn't my soul mate, I'm contented with the fact that at least I can marry someone I love." Sihra's eyes began to mist over as Manais turned her face to look at his. I will promise to love you for all time when we say our vows, and I will try my best to make you happy." Sihra was shaking with silent sobs, with tears running down her cheeks as Manais continued. "Please say you'll marry me Sihra…we will make each other our soul mates." He said while handing her a piece of cloth.

Sihra wiped her eyes and blew her nose into the cloth that Manais handed to her. "I do know you will be a fine husband, and when the time comes to say our vows…I will promise too. I do love you Manais." She said while squeezing one of his hands and looking into his eyes. "I will be your queen" she said as Manais leaned his head down and softly kissed her lips.

Isabel awoke breathing heavy, and ran a hand through her hair as she sat straight up. She pressed the heal of her right palm to her head, tears running from her eyes at the pain she felt in her head.

"Max, I have to find Max" was the only thought in her head as she struggled to stand up from her bed. Isabel stumbled down the hallway, her left hand holding the wall all the way for support, and the other hand on her face with tears flowing profusely. When she got to Max's door, she practically fell through it and went down to her knees by his bed.

Max woke with a start, and looked over to see Isabel practically collapsed by his bed. He knew he had just been dreaming, and assumed Isabel had been as well. He grabbed her left hand, which was resting on his bed and tried to pull her up.

"Iz! Isabel, what is it?" He asked her frantically.

"Max, I think I had a dream…my head…ohh" she replied unsteadily, while Max was tilting her face up to look at him.

"Iz, open your eyes for me, please Iz…" Max said as he grabbed her right hand away from her face. As soon as her tear laden hand came in contact with Max's hand Isabel's eyes popped open and both of their pupils dilated.

Instantly they were both back in their dream, and the two dreams combined.

**--Dream Recap with Max's Dream Addition--**

Max and Isabel were holding hands and could see two women talking at an oval table. When the two woman's faces came into focus, they immediately recognized one as Andrina. The other they recognized as well, but from a deep seeded memory. "Mother" they whispered in unison. The woman they recognized as their mother, stood and walked over to them.

"My children, when you see this dream you will not remember my name. It is Dinah, and you are Manais and Megaris. I know from the dream, that should have already been shared by Sihra and Jaiseti, that you know a little about them and why you are on Earth; but not really anything about yourself. In your other dreams I'm sure you have seen our planet and experienced events in your life here, but do you know who you both are? You were my prince and princess; my handsome prince Manais and my beautiful princess Megaris. You both were beloved by our people for your kind heart and charming ways. When you were killed, that fateful day, a part of me died with you and I miss you both deeply. You will have to be strong Manais for the times to come. Your sister and you will need each other for your different abilities as well as your mutual encouragement as you grow and mature. Always keep each other safe. Know that I love you and your father, Salvetar, adores you both. We both live for the day when we can hold you close again. You both have an important role to fill, and we pray you take courage. The night after you were killed, Andrina came to me and told me Sihra was her daughter. At that moment I knew the prophecy could still be fulfilled. I shared with her our new cloning technology and that very night we cloned Sihra, Jaeseti and you both as well. "The Power of Four Combined" will not die as our enemies would have it. As Destiny would have it, fate has bigger plans for you and the others. The reason we sent you to Earth holds more than just a place to grow and mature, for the royal four, but for safety's sake this information will be given to you closer to the time of your departure. Always follow your heart my darlings, for it will never lead you astray. You will see me again soon…Each time more frequent until the time of your homecoming arrives. I leave you now with the most important of all instructions, follow your heart, for your heart will never lead you astray. Your head will argue with you, but it is imperative that you both always follow your heart no matter what comes. In the past our people have made planet shattering mistakes by letting our head lead us in all things, but the heart will always be true." I love you both…always…

Isabel and Max found themselves standing in front of Max's bed, hands clasped and staring at each other; Isabel's earlier headache only a memory. Suddenly they heard a knock at Max's door and the door opened to reveal Mrs. Evans.

"Max honey, you need to-" she stopped in mid sentence as she saw the picture before her. She stepped into the room, confusion painting her face. Max and Isabel jumped away from each other and Isabel ran past her mom, saying she needed to get into the shower.

"What were you two doing in here?" Max's mom asked.

"Well, we were--praying Mom." Max replied as nonchalantly as he could.

"Praying?" she asked in disbelief. They were a family that believed in God, but they didn't really go to church except for holidays.

"Yeah, mom. Isabel has a test today and she's really worried about it. I offered to pray for her." Max stated very matter of fact.

Mrs. Evans, who didn't look completely convinced said "Why didn't she tell me she was so worried? I could have quizzed her last night?"

"You know Iz mom. She likes to handle things by herself. She doesn't like asking for help." Max replied, hoping she would let it drop already.

"Oh, ok honey. I was just coming up to tell you, that the trash needs to be taken out before you leave for school this morning." She said as she left the room.

Max breathed a sigh of relief and wished he could talk to Isabel again this morning before he got in the shower.

"I'm here big brother" he heard in his head.

"Iz? Woah. You mean we can talk telepathically now too?" he asked.

"I guess so. I've been able to hear you since I left the room. By the way, nice save with the whole praying thing." She said with a mental giggle.

"Yeah, well I guess we'll have to go to church a little more often now." He said with an internal wink.

"Before you get in the shower Max, you should call the others and tell them to meet us after school at the crashdown."

"I was just going to do that Iz…now get out of my head so I can concentrate." Max replied

"You mean you can't concentrate with me in here?" Isabel asked innocently.

"Iz…" Max said in his signature low tone.

"Alright Max, I'll give you your PRIVACY. For now that is."

"Bye Iz." Max replied.

Max rang Liz, Michael, Kyle and Maria.He toldKyle to make sure and tell Tess, and he knew his sister would take care of telling Alex. Max then dropped to the floor to do his morning 30 pushups, then stood up andbegan to get ready for school.


	17. Chapter 17

**Just to keep everyone straight, here is a reminder of the players and some pronunciations:**

**Max - Manais (Mah-nay-iss)/ Isabel - Megaris / Tess - Sihra (Seer-ha), Sie-nickname/ Michael - Jaiseti (Jay-seh-tee), Jai-nickname**

**Andrina and Jameus (Jay-muss)- Michael and Tess's parents from Antar / Salvetar & Dinah - Max & Isabel's parents from Antar / **

**Lyatso and Mayverna - Tess' adoptive parents on Antar (but she doesn't know they aren't her real parents while on Antar)**

_This turned out to be a longer than usual chapter, hope you enjoy! ANW_

**Chapter 17**

Isabel entered the bathroom in a red fluffy robe and turned on the water, waiting for it to get hot. With a huge smile on her face, she checked to make sure all her favorite toiletries were in the shower and when she was satisfied that all was in place, she hung her robe on the hook attached to the back of the door and she stepped in. In the shower, and out of Max's head, Isabel quietly broke down as the reality of what she had just seen sunk in. "My mother… Me and Max have a mother and she's breathtakingly beautiful and…She loves me…" She hugged herself and continued to cry in small sobs of joy. She couldn't wait to tell Alex.

After talking with Max about the after school meeting, Kyle walked to Tess' room and knocked softly on her door. Not hearing any kind of stirring, he called out to her.

"Tess, are you awake?" still he was met with silence. Getting worried, he decided to chance catching her in a compromising state, and opened the door a crack. Peeking in, he saw ruffled sheets, but no Tess. Her comforter was also missing. Just then his dad walked by and saw Kyle peeping into Tess' room.

"Uh, Son? What are you doing peeking into Tess' room? Haven't we had the whole 'privacy' discussion before?" he said looking at Kyle with one eyebrow raised.

"Dad! I'm not peeping!" he replied as though insulted. "Max just called, and I needed to tell Tess about a meeting later for the 'Alien Abyss' members and when she didn't answer when I called or knocked, I got worried!" he said all in one breath."

A thought occurring to him he then asked "Have you seen her this morning dad?"he asked while following his dad into the kitchen.

Jim replied while pouring himself a cup of coffee "I saw her early this morning when I got up to get a glass of water. She slept out on the hammock last night."Looking outside he then said "Her comforter is still out there. I haven't seen her this morning though." He said getting a little worried himself.

"This is not good, she could have been kidnapped or...aliennapped!" Kyle said getting wound up.

"Kyle…" his dad admonished for that last crack while stirring cream into his coffee.

"Ok,maybe not aliennapped, but something had to have happened! She didn't tell you or me she was leaving…" Kyle trailed off.

"Son, I think you better call Max, and tell him what is going on."

"Alright, I guess I'll have to call 'the King' himself" he replied sarcastically.

"Kyle, leave your issues with Max out of this. We still don't know where Tess is."

"Ok, Ok, I'm calling." He said as he picked his cell phone up from the table, and pulled it off the charger.

Upon waking to sunlight streaming into his window Monday morning, Michael learned had a splitting headache. The next thing he heard was the sound of frantic knocking on his front door, and gave an exhausted sigh as he kicked his covers off. He gave the curtains a hard yank, effectively blocking any more offensive sunlight from filtering in. Satisfied that the sun was vanquished, but the incessant knocking not showing any signs of letting up, he rubbed his eyes with one hand and pulled on a pair of jeans with the other. Still hopping into his jeans he stumbled to his front door.

"I'm coming, keep your shirt on!" he said sarcastically, always in a grumpy mood when awoke first thing in the morning; not to mention his head felt like his brain was too big for his skull. He unlocked both locks on his door, then opened it to reveal a crying Tess.

"Michael, I think something is wrong with me…" she sobbed. "My head hurts so much and I don't know why." She said while walking into his apartment and falling onto the couch.

Michael sat down next to her with one hand on his head.

"The only thought that was in my head was to come here." Tess said while gripping the hair on top of her head.

"My head also feels like it was run over by a train, so I think we can safely rule this occurrence alien related."

"Should we call Max? I don't think I can take this pain for much longer…" Tess said quietly, afraid any more volume would hurt worse.

"I can't think through this pain, so yeah I'll call him." Michael said as he reached for his cell phone. Pressing the speed dial for Max, he sat back and waited.

"Michael? I was just about to call you." Max said.

"Tell him to hurry!" Tess cried trying to hold it together, but with a hand on her forehead, tears still escaping her eyes.

"Michael, who is that? Is there a girl there with you? Is it Maria?" he inquired in an accusatory tone.

"Max, shut up. It's Tess. She showed up on my doorstep this morning with a huge headache, and I feel about the same as she does; like 20 woodpeckers are trying to hack their way out of my head" He replied.

"Michael do you remember dreaming last night?" Max asked.

"Why are you asking me about my dreams? Just get over here and heal us before one of our heads explodes!" Michael snapped.

"Michael calm down. It's the dreams. Isabel almost past out on my bedroom floor this morning with one whopper of a headache, and as soon as we connected her headache went away."

"So, your telling me all I have to do is connect with Tess to make the insanity stop?"

"Yes, and Michael…"

"What! OW!" he cut Max off, then grabbed his head as the outburst seemed to double the pain.

"Don't forget to wet your hands. I didn't think about it this morning with Isabel, but she was crying so much, it didn't really matter. Oh, and tell your sister we are meeting after school at the crashdown to discuss our dreams. I'm sure you two will have one to bring to the table after this."

"Bye Max" Michael replied while snapping his phone shut with a click, effectively ending the conversation. He thought to himself "Doesn't he care my head feels like it's about to leak out of my ear!"

He looked over at Tess who now was half sitting, half laying on his couch, her head pressed between her hands. "Tess, are your hands wet?"

"Yes, Michael" Tess answered exasperated "But what does that have to do with…"

Michael did not wait to hear the rest of her comment. He pulled her hands away from her face and held them tight.

"Tess open your eyes" he commanded.

Too worn out to argue, she slowly opened them, and their connection sprang to life.

**-Dream Recap with Michael's Dream Addition-**

Tess was again surrounded in a field of blue, this time Michael was standing by her side. The wind was making havoc with Tess' curls, but didn't seem to be disturbing Michael's spiky top at all. At the same time, they noticed Max across the field in a gazebo type structure. The gazebo was tall by earth standards, and completely see-through with a blue hue to it. While Tess was still taking in the gazebo's beauty, she noticed Michael already walking over to it. Catching up quickly, she followed by Michael's side and when they got nearby, they could hear Max talking to someone. Before ascending the steps, Michael sensed Tess' unease, and took her hand and together they climbed. At the fifth or sixth step, Max came into focus, as well as the person he was talking to. She looked exactly like Tess! Together, hand in hand, they stood numbly in place and listened to the conversation unfold.

"Sihra, we have been friends a long time right?" the person that looked like Max asked.

"Yes Manais, but how can we do this? I don't love you…well, I do…you know I do!" she said while giving Manais a mischievous smile.

"…but I don't love you like that, and I know you don't love me like that either." She finished with a sad sigh.

Manais took a step and sat down next to Sihra putting an arm around her shoulders. "Sihra, I know our love is not that of soul mates, but maybe it could grow to be that. We have to do what are parents ask of us. We have no other choice." He told her gently.

Sihra, who had been staring at her hands in her lap, now looked up into Manais' eyes. "And what of Karindra? You have been betrothed to her since your birth! Your marriage to her would unite Antar and Kentwaisis for all time! I just don't understand your parents!" she finished with small sob.

"I know, I don't understand their methods either Sihra but I do know that I've known you my whole life. If I have to be married to someone that isn't my soul mate, I'm contented with the fact that at least I can marry someone I love." Sihra's eyes began to mist over as Manais turned her face to look at his. I will promise to love you for all time when we say our vows, and I will try my best to make you happy." Sihra was shaking with silent sobs, with tears running down her cheeks as Manais continued. "Please say you'll marry me Sihra…we will make each other our soul mates." He said while handing her a piece of cloth.

Sihra wiped her eyes and blew her nose into the cloth that Manais handed to her. "I do know you will be a fine husband, and when the time comes to say our vows…I will promise too. I do love you Manais." She said while squeezing one of his hands and looking into his eyes. "I will be your queen" she said as Manais leaned his head down and softly kissed her lips.

From the other side of the gazebo they watched as someone else approached. He looked just like Michael.

Jaiseti silently walked up the steps, and found Sihra in what looked like a heated kiss with Manais.

"Am I interrupting something?" Jaiseti said addressing the two with cool calculation. Sihra and Manais instantly jumped apart; Sihra, blushing fiercely, gingerly touching her lips as if burned.

"Jaiseti. No, no you aren't. I was just leaving, I'm needed in the tactical room." Manais stood and turned to address Sihra. "I'll see you at dinner tonight?" he inquired.

"Yes, in the flower garden. Your mother sent me an invitation." Sihra replied having schooled her features back to her usual calm expression.

"Until tonight then. Sihra, Jaiseti." And he inclined his head to both in his retreat.

"Jaiseti you scare him!" Sihra replied with a giggle. Jaiseti defined intimidation. With his dark gray armor, and his black woven bands across his arms, he was a picture. Well, he had earned his outfit. Her father, the head of military operations, had taken him under his wing at a young age, seeing the potential of a great military leader. As it was, he was rumored to be named the next Military Commander. He could never scare Sihra though, he was at her home so often for training growing up, he was like a brother.

"Well he should be scared. I know you don't love him Sie, so why are becoming entangled with him? Is it just to be queen?" he asked disdainfully.

"You know me better than that Jai, but it would appease the king and queen. Manais is to be crowned king soon and his parents want him to have a wife before that. For the life of me I can't understand why me though... I mean we grew up together! It just doesn't feel right!" she said exasperated. "And what about Karindra? This negates the whole alliance. It makes no sense!"

"I have a feeling I know why they picked you Sie. I have heard murmurings about it." Jaiseti said with his eyes downcast.

Sihra flew to her feet in front of Jaiseti "Are you telling me you have suspected their reasoning and have not told me?"

"I thought you would have suspected! Haven't you listened to the prophecies lately?" Jaiseti replied with wide eyes.

"Yes, but I don't like to live my entire life surrounded in it." She said flippantly.

Jaiseti took her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake "You must! They mean everything to attain perfect peace on Antar. You have been to court, you know how Salvetar thinks! As of now peace hangs by a thread. You do know why all females born from a Male Antarian and a Female from another race have to be sent back to their home planet until their eventual union don't you?"

Tess shrugged her shoulders and tried to look away, but Jaiseti turned her face back to his with his hand. "It's because Antarian males are growing more prejudiced. You know females of other races don't develop their powers as soon as Antarian females do. They would be powerless against the prejudice that is creeping onto this planet without the protection of melding with their husband."

"Jai, but what does that have to do with me?" Sihra pleaded.

"Salvetar wants you to marry Manais in an attempt to negate prophecy. To show it has no credence. He's playing with fire. Dinah knows better, but will always agree with her king." Michael said spitefully.

"How would my marriage negate prophecy though?" Sihra asked sounding more interested.

"The prophecy states 'The strength of four combined will forever bind them.An alliance will bring peace, mixed blood shall heal what pure blood destroys. Praise be to the God of Creation."

"Honestly Sie, I don't know what Salvetar is playing at, but he wants pure blood to stay on the throne." He replied with disgust. "How can we find peace on this planet when the king himself is a bigot!"

"Jai you are scaring me. I trust in God. He has to have a plan for what is happening. I believe that with all my heart." She said with a hand on her chest and staring up at the lavender skies.

"Don't be naïve, the king has no regard for God. He will pay for that in the end. I'm sure of that fact…" he took Sihra by the shoulders again "…and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Jai, you worry too much. Everything will be ok, you'll see." she replied giving him her most genuine smile.

"How did you know I was here anyway?"

"I was taking a message to your father, and he told me you were picking flowers in the valley. When I got there and noticed you weren't there, something told me to climb the hill and there you were. With him."

"Please be happy for me Jai. Manais says we will make each other our soul mates, and I believe him… Besides, you'll always be there to protect me 'oh mighty Jaiseti'." she said while taking on a wide, strong stance similar to the way Jaiseti was standing.

"Don't mock me Sie, it will only lead to your demise…" he said playfully as he grabbed her and starting tickling her sides while she was locked in a bear hug.

The dream faded with the sound of Sihra's tinkling laughter resounding.

Kyle was still grumbling to himself while dialing Max's number. Jim rolled his eyes and sat on the sofa waiting to see what Max would say about Tess' strange disappearance.

"Kyle, what's up? I still need to get in the shower." Max said in a hurry.

"Max! Um, Hi. Yeah, have you seen Tess this morning? He said all in a rush.

"No, but Michael just called. She's at his house."

"Oh thank god" Kyle said giving a sigh of relief.

"Apparently she and Michael are about to replay their dreams through their connection. She had a headache this morning, and so did Michael. I am beginning to think that it has something to do with the frequency of the dreams…but I'll explain that theory later. I really have to go. I'll see you after school Kyle!" and with that, Max hung up.

"He just hung up on me!" Kyle said in disbelief.

"So where is she son?" Jim asked.

"She's at Michael's. They are connecting to see their dreams or something. She had a headache so she went to his house this morning. I don't know why she thought he could help. She could have just told me. I'd have gotten her some asprin-"

"Kyle!" Jim broke in "Have you been hanging out with Maria more lately?"

"No, why?" he replied.

"Your babbling son. Amy babbles, Maria babbles, and now you are babbling."

"Dad don't remind me of your little 'affair' with Ms. De Luca. At least not before breakfast…" Kyle states with a hand over his stomach and a grimace on his face.

"Don't push it Kyle" Jim replied with a frown.


	18. Chapter 18

_New chapter for your viewing enjoyment. Please review and tell me what you think! )_

**Chapter 18**

Maria hated cafeteria lunches. Hated them with a passion! She knew she should have checked her backpack before she left her house this morning, but she had been almost positive that she saw her mom drop her lunch bag into her backpack. Determined to stay in a good mood after the night she had just had, she headed toward the cafeteria line, with a look of resolve on her face.

"Hey Maria, why are you looking at the cafeteria lady like that, you look strange" Liz asked while getting in line beside Maria.

Maria looked back at her with a forced smile and then looked back at the server. She nodded in response to the server's unvoiced question, accepting a portion of Beef Stroganoff on her tray.

"Liz, you know how I feel about cafeteria food…" she trailed off with a strained smile still plastered to her face. It wasn't the poor lady's fault she was serving potential toxic food to the students.

Liz rolled her eyes, laughing quietly to herself, thinking that Maria really was dramatic sometimes.

"Mariaaa, the food isn't THAT bad." she said poking her friend in the ribs.

"Yeah, well you weren't the one with food poisoning after eating those 'enchiladas' that day." Maria replied while pushing open the glass door to the quad with her back, and walking over to a table.

"Maria that was in third grade!" Liz said giggling.

"Yeah, well that memory will last a lifetime." Maria said while gesturing with her hand to indicate a long time.

Liz just smiled, sat down and opened the top to her apple juice. She suddenly smiled conspiratorially and asked "Soooo, what happened last night? I told you to call me afterwards!"

Suddenly getting a deer in the headlights look on her face, Maria blushed in response.

"Come on, tell, tell!" Liz asked.

"Ok, ok." She replied while taking a deep breath, and tucking her hair behind her ears. "Well, you know what happened the first part of the night."

Liz took a bite of her stroganoff and nodded.

"Well, as soon as I came out of the bathroom Michael started screaming at me…"

"What? Why was he doing that?" Liz asked through a mouthful of food.

"Apparently he was listening at the door, for some reason, and he heard me talking to you on the phone."

"But why would he get mad because of that?" Liz asked before taking a bite of her garlic bread.

"He heard what I said about Hockey being like the WWF and blew a gasket." She finished with a smile. "Despite the yelling, he really is cute when he's agitated."

"Well, Max said it was his favorite sport…" Liz replied in an admonishing tone.

"I know, but for goodness sake! You'd think he played professionally or something. He got so offended!"

"Well, then what happened?" Liz asked getting impatient.

"We argued for a couple of minutes, especially when I found out TESS was in his head…but then he said she wasn't anymore, and got this weird look on his face. I think he didn't really know how to get her out, without asking her to go, until that moment. I'm thinking he was being so self-conscious because he was worried that Tess would butt in on our night at an 'inopportune' time. Then he started backing me into a wall, and kissed me!" Maria finished with a blush and pursed smile.

"I told you Maria! I knew that oufit was killer!" Liz exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, he told me I looked hot also. I almost forgot that. That kiss was something else. I really think I saw stars Liz. Well, not like you and Max see stars, but at least a constellation or two. I can't wait to see him again. I keep imagining the next time-"

"Maria!" Liz interrupted. "My friend I simply can't keep up with your brain sometimes" Liz said with a giggle.

"I know, I'm sorry…I'm just so excited!" Maria said while slinging an arm around Liz's shoulders and giving her a squeeze.

"Oh god, I just thought of something." Maria suddenly exclaimed with panicky a look on her face.

"What?" Liz said while tickling her friend to get her to drop her arm so she could finish eating.

Slapping Liz's hand a way she replied "What if it's weird now between me and Michael? How am I supposed to act around him now?" Maria said ending on a worried note.

"Stop stressing so much Maria" Liz replied with a squeeze to her friends shoulder "Just be you, and everything will be fine."

Maria gave Liz a half smile, but could not stop from tormenting herself with thoughts of what might happen. She pushed her noodles around on her plate, and made a disgusted sound; resigning herself to just have garlic bread and pudding for lunch.

Isabel was staring at the blackboard, resting her chin on her hand, and waiting for class to be over. At first she had attempted to follow her instructors lecture, but soon she gave up the fight. When the bell rang her elbow slipped off of her desk, causing her chin to fall, but she quickly recovered. Chunking her book and notepad in her backpack, she stood up and clicked her way out of the classroom. Max hated the shoes she had on today, the offending noise they emitted when the heels hit the ground made his ears itch. She laughed quietly to herself thinking that she probably only wore these shoes just to annoy him. Rounding the corner and heading to the quad, she didn't see where she was going. The collision almost knocked her off her feet, but the offending party caught her just in time.

"Wow, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there. It's my first day, and I guess being lost makes walking dangerous." said the boy with striking green eyes, sandy blonde hair and a green shirt that made yellow flecks in his eyes stand out.

"It's ok, I really wasn't paying to much attention to where I was going…" Isabel replied while adjusting her shirt, and picking up her books.

"Oh, let me get those for you!" the new boy replied "After all, I'm the reason you dropped them in the first place."

"Thanks" Isabel said while she and this new boy put her books in her bag. He brushed her hand while putting in the last book, and the way he was looking at her made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. All of a sudden she was flushed and on her way to becoming overcome with a rising desire. She mumbled her thanks again, and took off in the opposite direction of this new boy.

"By the way, my name is Kevin!" he shouted after her, and she turned and waved at him in reply, but did not stop her pace.

Turning another corner, and narrowly missing another collision, she found herself outside the eraser room door and without a second thought she barged in. The sight she was met with was an unwelcome one.

Michael and Maria, who were involved in a very heated embrace, sprung apart at the appearance of Isabel.

Michael, after the initial shock, pulled Maria back into his arms and stated "Hey Iz, can we get a little privacy?"

"Michael!" Maria exclaimed. "Can't you see Isabel is upset?" she said before she broke out of Michael's arms and pulled Isabel into the room with them; the door closing behind her with a thud.

"Iz, what's wrong?" Maria asked while placing a hand on Isabel's arm.

"I don't know…I don't know." She stammered while looking down.

Michael, who had begun to sulk against the wall, now began to get concerned. "Iz, what happened?" He was met with silence. "Isabel!" he said a little louder, while grasping her arms in his hands.

Isabel seemed to stiffen beneath his fingers, then she let out a moan about her head, and she collapsed in his arms.

"Oh my god, Isabel!" Maria exclaimed, while helping Michael lay her on the ground.

"Max…Maria go get Max!" Michael yelled at Maria.

"Michael I don't know where he is!" Maria said sounding frantic.

"Maria, just find him!" he replied in exasperation.

"Ok, I'll try!" Maria said while flying out the door.

She was just about to enter her 3rd period class, after lunch, when Michael had grabbed her and they ended up in the eraser room. She ducked under her classroom's door window now, praying she would not be discovered…and for Max to appear soon.

Tess was so glad that she got C lunch. There were four lunch periods: A, B, C and D. Kyle had C, and when she found out she did too, she was ecstatic.

She sat down at a table in the quad, and opened her lunch bag. She reached in and pulled out a strawberry yogurt, then turned the bag over and out dropped about five packets of sugar. While she was stirring in the sugar, she suddenly felt eyes looking at her. The little hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she stopped what she was doing. Putting down her spoon, and trying to be discreet she looked around and scanned the quad as nonchalantly as possible. She didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary but the next thing she knew, hands were covering her eyes and she jumped in fright.

"Guess who!" Kyle said in an upbeat voice.

"Kyle! God! Don't do that!" she exclaimed while pulling his hands off of her eyes "I was this close to blasting you!" she said while holding her pointer finger and thumb a centimeter apart, showing him how close she was to hurting him.

"Gosh Tess, why are you so jumpy?" Kyle said while sitting down across from her.

Kyle sat down and began to unpack his lunch, which consisted of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, an apple, a banana, a bag of potato chips, and a quart of milk. Tess gave him a astonished look at all of the food, and replied "I don't know. Just before you came I got the distinct feeling that someone was watching me…"

"People are always watching you Tess." Kyle said blankly while taking a bite of his sandwich.

"No they aren't!" Tess said getting defensive.

"Tess, don't get all suspicious on me. I simply meant that since you are very attractive, people tend to stare." He was thinking that he himself was included in that list.

"I…never noticed." Tess said while blushing, the heat from it suddenly making her hands sweaty. She rolled her shoulders in an effort to shake the feeling of being watched from her. "Kyle, why are you eating enough for two? Are you pregnant or something?" she said in an effort to tease and change the subject.

Totally ignoring her rib, he replied "I might be thinking about playing Football again." he said with a grin and a mouthful of sandwich. "I need to bulk up" he said while flexing.

"Oh, that would be cool…" she tried to sound like she was interested, because she really was, but still could not shake the very unsettling feeling of being watched.

"Kyle, I still feel like someone is looking at me with wayward intentions." Tess said while still subtly looking around in all directions.

Kyle began to get worried for her, and to look around himself, but was sidetracked from is search as just then Maria ran up to them. She was out of breath, and bent over resting her hands against the table for support.

"Have either…of you…seen Max?" she asked in between breaths.

"No I haven't." Tess replied "Have you Kyle?"

"Actually yeah, I just happen to know exactly where he is. Max works in the library this period. I never go in there, but during my lunch yesterday, I dropped in to pick up a book for an assignment, and there he was." As if just now seeing how upset Maria was, he then asked "Why, is something wrong?"

"Isabel just collapsed in the eraser room and me and Michael caught her." she said while straightening up and beginning to breath normally again.

"What were you three doing in the eraser room together?" Kyle asked with one eyebrow raised. "Never mind, I don't want to know." He said with a hand up in a stop gesture.

"Gosh Kyle, now's not the time!" Tess said getting irritated. First she feels like she's being watched and now this.

"O--K…, Well, I'll go get Evans since Maria looks like she's been running all over campus. Maybe it's best if you two get back to class." Kyle replied.

"Nuh uh. I'm going to the eraser room. Isabel might need me." Tess said while standing up to leave.

"Me too." Maria replied. "Get going Kyle!"

"Alright" Kyle said in resignation, "I'll meet you guys there." He then shoved his food back in his lunch bag and began to run in the direction of the library.


	19. Chapter 19

**Trude,** I'm so excited that you are still reading, even after my long vacation. ) I hope you like the new part!

**Mangoaddict,** you still honor me with your presence. Thanks so much for the review-I'm working on reavealing more of the plot, questions will be answered soon...

Everyone else! Thank you so much for reading, and a big helloto all the lurker readers as well. Please feel free to review with your thoughts! Well, without further ado, here it comes!

ANW

**Chapter 19**

Tess and Maria peeked around the corner, to make sure the coast was clear, before running to the eraser room, and slipping inside.

"Michael, how is she?" Tess asked while kneeling down beside Isabel.

"I don't know Tess. One minute she's standing right in front of me, and the next, she passes out! Where is Max?"

"Kyle went to go get him" she replied while touching Isabel's head.

"Michael I don't think Isabel is breathing!" Tess exclaimed while bending down to put her ear over Isabel's mouth. She felt no air entering or escaping her lungs.

"Oh my god, Michael you have to do something!" Maria shrieked while practically jumping up and down with worry.

"I don't know how Maria! I'm not a healer, Max is!" Michael replied in angst.

"Michael, I think I know what to do" Tess said calmly while staring at Isabel's face. "I don't know how I know, but I feel like I need to try and do this."

"Do it Tess. She's starting to turn blue."

Tess touched both of Isabel's temples, closed her eyes, and began to concentrate on getting into Isabel's head. She felt like she was getting through, but it was like trying to see in through thick black haze. She pushed on the hazy barrier and was immediately surrounded in a warm thick liquid. She could hear a gurgling sound coming from in front of her and suddenly she knew what was happening. Tess began to push through the liquid and felt around for Isabel. She quickly found her, and was fighting to keep her head above the thick liquid. Finding that her energy was swiftly draining she knew she was in trouble. Unable to speak outside of the connection, she reached out for Michael through their telepathic link.

"Michael, I need help! My energy is not enough…try and focus your energy, through our link, into me" she struggled to say.

"Tess, I don't know how!" Michael replied, almost crying with emotion now.

"Try Michael, I need help…I don't know how long I can…take…it" she replied.

"Tess, I am trying…I can't get through!"

Just then Max and Kyle burst through the door.

"Michael what is wrong with Isabel?" he exclaimed while dropping to his knees and picking up one of her hands.

"I don't know Max, but she's not breathing. Tess said she knew how to help her, and somehow connected with her, but she just called out for help from me through our link. Her energy is almost gone…and I can't get through" He replied with tears misting his eyes over. He worriedly looked back at Tess and Isabel as he rubbed a hand across his eyes to wipe them.

"Ok Michael, I know I can connect with Isabel telepathically, because I'm her brother, but I'm not going to assume I can do this alone. So, I'm going to connect with you and maybe through your telepathic link with Tess, we can both get in and help." He replied as fast as he could.

Michael nodded, and Max looked into his eyes to form the connection. It was almost instantaneous, and the speed of it amazed Max. He had no time to ponder the speed though; once inside Michael's head, he felt the link Michael had to Tess. He pushed against it and found that he could slip in quite easily. Making sure to keep a hold on Michael, he plunged through, and was immediately surrounded in thick black liquid.

"Tess! Tess, where are you?" he called out.

"Max! I'm over here…I need help!" This world around him was hideous. What could possibly have happened to Isabel for her to be in a place like this? The air smelt of burnt hair and ashes. Through the smoky air he could barely see the sky above, and it was a menacing red color. Wading through neck high black liquid, he and Michael rushed as fast as the thick liquid would let them to the sound of Tess's voice. She abruptly came into focus and her nose was just above the liquid. He could tell she was supporting Isabel too, and her face and hair were covered in the black oily substance.

"Isabel! Iz!" he yelled as he grabbed her out of Tess's arms. Tess almost completely drained, fell into Michaels arms, and he supported her above the liquid without to much effort.

Now in Max's arms, Isabel's head began to roll and Max could tell she was mumbling something.

"Iz open your eyes. I need to get in so I can see what's wrong!" he pleaded with her.

"No, nooo. I don't want to live..no…" she mumbled.

"Iz, yes you do. Please let me in! Open your eyes Iz!" Max begged her.

"ungh…no.." suddenly her eyes flew open "NO!" she screamed, but it was to late, Max was already in.

Her body was perfectly fine, but her mind was a mass of confusion and bloody images. They were flashing so fast he couldn't see what they were of. Focusing instead on her state of mind, he forced his energy into the mass of jumbled confusion and it was calmed almost at once; like stormy ocean waves settling down into a tranquil pool.

Max opened his eyes and found that he was still up to his neck in black liquid, but Isabel had her eyes open and she was staring right at him.

"Why Manais? Why couldn't you just let me go? Why? Don't you know what I've done? What I let happen? Why?" she sobbed.

"Iz, I don't understand! What are you talking about?"

"You never knew Manais…I hid it well. It was all for nothing. I fooled myself and you along with me…"

"Iz, I still don't know what you are talking about" he replied.

"My name is Megaris!" she yelled "and…and…and I let them murder you! I let them murder you on your wedding night!"

"Iz, Iz snap out of it. It's me Max! Iz wake up!" he implored her, while shaking her shoulders under the black liquid.

Crumpling a little in Max's arms, she shook her head as if in a daze, and squinted her eyes; tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Max…Max?...Max what happened?" she asked.

"I don't know Iz, but you weren't yourself for a minute there." He replied.

"Where are we?" she asked looking around "and why is my face covered in this?" she asked while touching the oily substance all over her.

"We are on some kind of dream plane Iz…and I think you made it." He replied hesitantly.

"What? Why would I do that?" she asked looking confused.

"I'm not sure, but I bet we can find out. Iz you have to get us out of this place. This is your dream." Max replied.

"What is Michael doing here?" Isabel asked finally seeing him behind Max.

"He's how I got here. After you collapsed, you stopped breathing. Tess somehow formed a connection to you, but once she was in, her energy started draining. Through her telepathic link with Michael we both were able to get in and help you."

"I stopped breathing?" she asked disbelievingly. "What happened to me?" she exclaimed with a hand on her forehead.

"Iz I need you to focus. Look at me" Max asked her gently. She complied and turned back to face him.

"Do you know how to get us out of this dream?"

"I think so…this is different than dream walking, but it should be the same" she replied. Suddenly the liquid started receding, the air began to clear. Rapidly, the color started fading to a bright white color. When they were completely surrounded in the white brightness and the liquid evaporated from their skin, the link between the four broke and they all awoke.

Maria, who had been squatting in the corner and praying, unexpectedly saw Isabel take a huge strangled breath; her chest rising laboriously. The color quickly returned to her cheeks, and she saw the others starting to wake up as well.

"Oh thank God! I was so worried!" she exclaimed before launching herself into Michael's arms.

"I'm ok Maria" he replied recovering from his half hazard position and settling her in his lap; giving her a gentle kiss.

Maria, completely satisfied with that soft response from Michael, allowed herself to be helped to her feet but clung to his hand.

"Iz, are you ok?" Max asked as she struggled to her feet, and he helped her up.

"I think so. I still don't know what happened." She replied.

Tess, who was also standing to her feet with the help of Kyle, said "I do. You were trying to kill yourself" she stated very matter of fact.

"What? Why would I do that?" Isabel asked showing doubt in her eyes; and a hint of something else…maybe fear? Flashes of disbelief flashing on everyone's face.

"I don't know Iz, but that's what was going on in there. You made that dream plane the way you wanted it, and you were drowning yourself when I got in." she replied. "I tried to help you, but your energy was pushing me away…draining me. I barely managed to keep your head above that black oily mess until Max and Michael got there."

"We have to go back to class, someone is going to get suspicious if six of us are missing." Max said to everyone. "Iz, are you ok to go to class now? We can talk about this later—"

"Max are you sure that's wise?" Michael broke in.

"We have to Michael. We don't know why this happened, and someone could be watching us." He replied while shifting his shoulder blades. He was almost positive he had felt eyes watching him in the library before Kyle had gotten there.

"Michael I'm ok, really." Isabel said while attempting to smile "I'll just see you after school at the Crashdown. Ok?" she asked trying to appear as normal as possible.

"Ok Iz." He replied while pulling Maria toward the door.

"Everyone just be extra alert until then." Max instructed everyone while opening the door.

Kyle saluted and replied "Will do" with Tess in tow. They all split up and went to their respective classes; still with gnawing feelings in the pit of their stomachs.

Isabel at first walked toward her class, but when everyone was out of sight she turned, and headed for the quad.


	20. Chapter 20

_More meat coming your way! I'm going to be unfolding Antar alot in the coming chapters...they hopefully will be coming out sooner than later. I should have a new chapter up by tomorrow night as well. Please don't forget to tell me what you think! -smile-_

_-ANW_

**Chapter 20**

Isabel knew exactly where she was going, she could just feel it. She was pretty sure her façade had fooled everyone into thinking there was nothing she was hiding, and would not be following her. She wanted to be careful though. She looked through the window on the door to the quad, and scanned the area cautiously. Not seeing anyone around, she slipped through the door and headed out. Picking up her pace, she rounded the corner to the building and headed off of school property-on a course straight to Roswell Central Park.

When she woke up, in Max's arms and surrounded in black goo, it was like waking up out of a dream and into another. She remembered feeling very disoriented and Max helping her to focus and get them out of the dream that she had apparently created. When she woke up on the floor of the eraser room, she could remember parts of the dream she had before Max found her. More specifically she could remember someone. Someone from her past that she didn't ever dream about till then. Someone she had loved very deeply…someone who wanted her to rule in her brother's place. Someone she could feel at that very moment. Most of the dream was hazy except for her time spent with this person from her past. Someone she felt deeply connected to…her friend…her lover…Kivar…

She could remember the time she was going to break it off with him. Early in the morning she had slipped into a rich green dress, edged with silver threading; the threading looping around her arms in a large criss-crossing pattern. She stepped barefoot into a pair of silver slippers, with very quiet bottoms. Making her way out of the palace with stealth, she headed for Carene Pond. Antar's two suns had not yet risen, but were just beginning to tinge the dark lavender sky with pink. As she stepped between two Poppus Trees, the golden waters came into view. It was still so early in the morning that the water reflected the dark lavender sky, and made a very tranquil scene. Suddenly there he was, Sitting on a rock near the waters edge. He looked over at her, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Megaris…thank you for meeting me here" he said as he stood to meet her.

She walked over to him and he took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. He was dressed in his black military suit with his blue bands of achievement weaving down his arms. Tall and intriguing, he was a sight. She was in awe every time she saw his him, not to mention his captivating green eyes…

"Kivar, I don't know if I can do this…anymore…" she trailed off at the end.

"He doesn't love you, you know…" he said softly into her ear as he pulled her close. She melted with every word, losing her grip on reality.

"He can never love you the way you deserve to be loved" he continued speaking words dripping with honey.

"I suppose you are going to tell me you will?" she replied lightly trying to maintain her poise.

"You know I will Meg…have I ever lied to you?" he said pulling away from her slightly so he could look into her eyes.

"Even when we were children…did I ever?"

Megaris looked to the side and could remember many times Manais or Jaiseti had taken off together, leaving her alone with a lie. Kivar was always around to be there in the gap. She really wanted to let go and be with him…his scent was driving her crazy right now…but what about Jaiseti? He was good to her, they didn't share a deep love, but she loved him. Her father adored him. What was she going to do?

"Meg?" Kivar shook her a little, to jiggle her out of her thoughts, and looked at her imploringly. "Have I?"

"No…you never have." She replied looking back into his eyes.

"Trust me Meg…I love you, and I always have. I will make you a queen, and my wife someday!"

She could feel her resolve crumbling. Every second spent with Kivar, was like a breath of fresh air to her soul. She really did think that Kivar could be a better leader than her brother. Her and her brother had never agreed on politics, but she and Kivar seemed to think alike on everything. They had since childhood. Her mind was plagued by only one fear…"Kivar I love my brother…I don't want you to ever hurt him...or Jaiseti" she said the last name softly.

"My princess, I would never do anything to make you unhappy." He said while slipping a hand around her waist and pulling her close again.

"I want you forever…to forever be mine." And he kissed her mouth with the ferocity of a thousand fires, each one burning into her soul.

"Meld with me Megaris…I know you want to…"he whispered into her mouth. "You could still marry Jaiseti for the time being…no one has to ever know…Manais doesn't even love his own betrothed…"

"What if Jaiseti wants to meld with me?" Megaris asked just short of whimpering.

"He won't…I promise you that…." He replied kissing her down the side of her neck.

She knew she was promised to Jaiseti, but she didn't love him like that! If she melded with Kivar she would never have a chance to really love Jaiseti-Melding saved true love for your partner only. She decided she didn't care. She loved Kivar and this is what she wanted…she wanted to feel like this the rest of her life.

"I love you Kivar…I'll do it. I'll meld with you…" she replied in between feverish kisses and encompassed within his strong embrace. She felt more alive at that moment than any other moment before…

As soon as that moment passed though, a mirror image of herself appeared in front of her. She could still see her and Kivar in a heated embrace to the side, but there was another image of her sitting on a rock and crying in front of her. "It was a lie…he told me he'd never lie!" she was crying to herself. "He told me pure blood needed to remain on the throne…lies! Why!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"It won't happen again…it won't! I won't let it!" She continued to scream and jumped up from where she was sitting. Isabel saw this mirror image of herself come straight towards her and before she could blink, her world went black. The next thing she knew she was in Max's arms and didn't know where she was, except for being neck high in black oily liquid…

As she approached the park this memory was replaying in her head. Suddenly shecould feel a presence there…As she got closer she felt a fluttery feeling in her stomachand she felt eyes on the back of her head. It was a very familiar feeling.

She stopped walking as she felt someone walk up behind her. She whipped around to face him and knew who she'd find.

"Megaris…It's been a long time? No?" Kevin said as he smiled a seductive smile and stroked a strand of Isabel's hair.

"I knew it was you Kivar. My name is Isabel, by the way" she replied, taking a step back to distance herself from him.

"Ok, I'll call you Isabel if you prefer…for right now at least. You will always be my Megaris though…" he replied while making a half circle around her, and looking her up and down.

"You always were beautiful, I think you might even be more beautiful now…" he continued with a gleam in his eye.

Isabel struggled with the feelings inside of her. She knew from her dream that she had been in love with him, but that she was supposed to marry Michael. Her feelings were all mixed up now, since she didn't have to marry Michael in this lifetime, and she was so instantly drawn to Kevin. The fact that at the end of the dream she had seen herself sobbing and saying he had lied to her was also disconcerting…but she could have been talking about someone else…couldn't she? Alex's face also flashed through her mind, but she pushed out all conflicting thoughts and attempted to focus on who was in front of her. Kivar…

"Kivar…" she began, but was cut off.

"Call me Kevin…might as well use the name I have picked up here on Earth"

"Ok. Kevin, what do you want with me?"

He extended his hand to her and said "Come on Isabel, sit with me. We'll talk and I'll tell you everything…"

She could feel the familiar honey dipped tone he was using on her and it made her knees weak. She figured she might as well sit down, since standing might not be the best idea at the moment. She walked over beside him, around his hand and sat down on the bench.

He seemed undeterred and sat down beside her.

"Isabel I have been looking for you a long time…you are my one true love, and I am yours.Do you remember the day we melded?"

"I…I don't remember that…I…I remember other times though." She stammered.

"Isabel, it's ok…it's ok." He said soothingly as he stroked her hair. "I will help you remember.." He stroked her face and she felt her eyelids drooping. She stiffened as she felt herself losing control, and Kevin whispered in her ear.

"Relax Isabel, I'm just taking you to one of your own memories…you will thank me when you wake up my love…" She wanted to resist him, but she just couldn't…her whole body quaked with each word out of his mouth.

She began to relax and he intertwined his fingers with hers, as she slipped into a memory.

"Are you ready my love?" Kivar asked Megaris as they stood with their hands intertwined.

Isabel was standing along the sidelines watching her and Kivar stand beside a pond. She recognized the pond as the Carene Pond. The one she was at the time she was going to break it off with him. Ironic that they chose to meld there.

"I'm ready to be yours Kivar…I want to be yours forever…" she replied.

Megaris was dressed in a lavender dress this time, still with silver ribbons that wove around her arms and under her chest, giving her an empire waist, and Kivar a full view of the curves of her endowments. Her dress swayed lightly in the breeze and her hair did as well, being completely down and falling in soft waves down her back. Lavander flowers, that looked like tiny roses, were woven in a crown around her brow. Kivar was dressed in his black military regalia, his blue stripes woven around his sleeves, but he had cut his hair for this occasion, a custom of Brevanian males on their wedding day. Though he was not marrying Isabel…this was more. It was a melding of souls…

"Then repeat after me:

Megaris,

As long as the sun will rise, as long as the stars will shine,  
you will be in my eyes you will always be mine.

As long as my soul's alive As long as you see the sign, I'll see you every time You will always be mine."

Megaris could feel tears prick the corners of her eyes as she heard his words and replied the same.

"Kivar,

As long as the sun will rise, as long as the stars will shine,  
you will be in my eyes you will always be mine.

As long as my soul's alive As long as you see the sign, I'll see you every time You will always be mine."

A white light emanated from their joined hands and circled around them both as they kissed the melding kiss and were joined in hand and in soul.

Isabel opened her eyes and found that her head was resting on Kevin's shoulder.

"I remember…" she said as she slowly straightened up and looked in to his eyes. "I remember loving you…" she whispered. She stared down at the small birth mark on her left palm just below her pinky. The one shaped like an oval layingdown.Kevin brought his own hand up where she could see the matching mole on his hand, and then he joined the two marks together. A single tear slid down her face ashe took her face in his hands and kissed her.

As soon her last class was over, Tess practically ran out school. She was anxious about tonight's meeting and she was starving after not eating very much lunch. She ran into Kyle on the way to the parking lot, and practically dragged him into his car. They headed straight for the crashdown and were almost there when a boy stepped in front of Kyle's Mustang. He looked around their age and his green eyes stood out, even from the distance they were away from him. Kyle slammed on his brakes, making the tire squeal, and Tess had awful flashbacks of the last time she heard that sound. When they came to a stop, the boy was gone…he seemed to have disappeared in to thin air. Tess sat back in her chair and took a deep breath trying to calm her breathing. She slapped Kyle's hand away from her, assuring him she was fine and to keep going. Softly she heard a voice enter her mind.

"Sihra…you are not supposed to be alive Sihra…you are not pure blood!"


	21. Chapter 21

_Hello again everyone! Well, I hope you are in the mood to read because this chapter turned out pretty long. Things are beginning to come together for the pod squad and more of Antar and Tess' special connection will be revealed in the coming chapters. I appreciate all previous feedback more than you know, and can't wait for more! _

ANW

**Chapter 21**

Kyle continued to pester Tess the rest of the way to the Crashdown, continually making sure she was ok. Tess was far from ok after hearing that voice in her head, but she was trying to hide it as best she could.

"Ok, but I was just trying to make sure you were ok…I mean after I hit you with the c--" Tess cut him off.

"Kyle! I'm fine! We both almost went through that alright? It's over now, and we are ok. Just drop it already!" Tess exclaimed as she crossed her arms underneath her chest.

"Well pardon me for worrying about you…" he replied as he turned and started sulking against the door. He made one final turn, and pulled into a parking spot near the Crashdown.

Tess jumped out of the car and began walking even before Kyle turned off the car. She knew she had probably hurt his feelings, but she was having a hard time worrying about him when she herself felt her life was being threatened! First she feels like someone is watching her, and now this! "I just don't want him to worry though…I could just tell him what happened…" she thought to herself.

"Could tell who what?" Michael replied to her inside her head. "What happened Tess?" he asked accusingly.

"We almost ran into a boy who appeared in front of Kyle's car" she blurted out in reply. She was really beginning to get annoyed that she couldn't lie to Michael in their connection.

"What! Are you ok?" he asked concerned.

"I'm fine Michael, Kyle was just pestering me, making sure I was ok." She replied while walking into the Crashdown front door. Michael met her there, and their conversation went from telepathic to verbal.

"That doesn't make sense though Tess. Why would you think to yourself "I could just tell him what happened" if Kyle was with you and he knew what happened..." he asked as he steered Tess towards the break room where they could be alone. Tess shrugged and looked away, not knowing how else she could get out of telling Michael what really happened.

He asked her the question again, this time in their connection, and knowing she couldn't lie to him "Tess, what happened that you didn't want to tell Kyle…or me for that matter!"

Kyle walked into the Crashdown looking dejected and saw Alex sitting on a bar stool. Alex looked like he felt and so he slid onto the stool next to him.

"Hey man, bad day?." Kyle said while waving Liz over. "I'll have the Area 51 meal w/ orbit rings and an alien blast please."

"Sure Kyle!" she replied as she turned to put in the order.

"I was supposed to meet Isabel at lunch today." Alex replied while stirring his milkshake idly with his straw. "She never showed up and I had to eat alone. You know, I thought she was done toying with me…" he stated with a crestfallen expression.

"Oh, I forgot…you weren't there earlier." Kyle replied.

Alex looked up at Kyle from stirring his shake "What?"

"Something happened to Isabel today during lunch." Kyle replied in a low tone. Alex sat up in his stool and leaned in.

"What happened?" Liz asked hearing what Kyle said and leaning in as well.

"She collapsed in the eraser room with Maria and Michael with her. She stopped breathing, and Michael sent her to find Max."

"Oh my gosh!" Alex exclaimed in disbelief.

"Maria found me and Tess in the quad, and so I ran to get Max from the library, while they ran back to the eraser room. When we got there she was turning blue, and Tess was somehow connected to Isabel, trying to help her. She wasn't doing very well though, and Michael was trying to help her, but he couldn't get in for some reason. Max ended up connecting with Michael and they both got into Tess's head through Michael's connection to her. Through Tess they were able to get to Isabel and somehow brought her back. She was very disoriented when she woke up…Tess told her she was trying to kill herself."

"What? Why would she do that?" Alex asked in skepticism.

"I don't know, that's just what Tess felt when she was in there. She said Isabel was trying to drown herself, and was trying to drain Tess as well when she got in there with her."

"I can't believe this. Something must be seriously wrong." Liz replied

"I know, but Tess has her lips buttoned tight if she knows anything. Aside from Alien PMS there's no excuse for the way she's been acting…" Kyle said with one eyebrow raised.  
"Kyle, don't be so insensitive." Liz said in an admonishing tone.

"I'm just saying…" he replied and trailed off at the end.

The bells jingling over the front door announced the arrival of Max and Isabel. Alex caught her eye and she quickly looked away, trying to appear like she didn't see him looking at her. Something seemed strange about her demeanor, and Alex felt he should go talk to her, especially after the ordeal she had had without him. He stood up from the bar stool, and followed her over to the booth she and Max had sat down at.

"Hey Max, Isabel. Listen, can Isabel and I have a word alone?" Alex asked Max all in one breath.

"Uh. Yeah, I was just going to go talk to Liz anyway." Max replied as he slid out of the booth and walked to the counter. Alex slid in where Max had been while Isabel's eyes followed Max. Alex looked where she was looking to see Liz come around the counter and kiss Max. Then Max whispered in her ear something funny in her ear and Liz laughed, while Max lifted her off her feet in a hug.

"Those two can really make you gag, huh?" Isabel said to Alex in a joking tone. She knew Alex probably had to eat alone today, what with her passing out and meeting up with her former alien lover. She just hoped she could act natural.

"Yeah, I'm kinda used to it by now though." He replied.

"Iz, are you ok? I heard what happened to you today. What's going on?" he asked with concern written all over his face.

"Alex I'm fine, really. I'm not sure what happened earlier today, I'm assuming my dream memories are taking a more direct approach from now on." She replied. She thought to herself that the second part of her excuse might actually be true. Well, nothing like mixing a little truth into a lie to make it more believable.

"That's not good though. What if you pass out in class next time? How will anyone know how to help you?"

"That's what we are going to talk about Alex." Max answered for Isabel, sliding in beside his sister.

"Aside from picking out important points from our dreams, I have a theory as to why Isabel, Michael, and Tess have been experiencing pain with their most recent dreams."

After Michael got Tess to tell him what was really going on, he thoroughly advised her not to keep secrets from him again. She knew with their connection he'd find out eventually anyway, so she agreed.

Tess then announced she had to go the bathroom, leaving Michael alone in the break room. Maria entered through the back door and stopped in her tracks when she saw Michael staring at her.

"Hey." She said while adjusting her top.

"Hi." Michael replied. Then like the south pole on a magnet to a north pole, the two rushed into each others embrace.

"I missed you." Maria said in between kisses.

"I know." Michael replied kissing her back.

Maria pulled away then and said "You know?" with one eyebrow raised.

"I missed you too ok?" he replied.

Just then Tess walked in and saw the two of them wrapped in each others arms.

"I'lllll, just go find Max." she stated as she pressed on the break room door and walked into the dining room.

"Way to go bro!" he heard Tess say in his head.

"Go away little sis…" he replied menacingly. Then he decided to just push her out, and just like that she was gone.

"Tess in there again?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, but she's gone now. I'm really glad I figured out how to get her out when I want to." He said with a gentle kiss.

"Me too Spaceboy…I don't like to share too often" she replied with a small smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"We better get out there. No doubt Tess is telling everyone what we are doing in here." He said while taking her hand and pulling her along with him to the dining room.

Maria was in a state of shock as she never thought it would be this easy for Michael and her to be together. She allowed herself to be pulled along with a goofy grin on her face.

Liz and everyone were already sitting at the booth when they got there. Liz was on her supper break, and she and Michael were off for the night.

"Nice of you to join us." Max said in Michael's direction.

"Don't start Max." Michael replied, and Maria just continued to smile as Michaels grip on her hand tightened.

"Well, we have a lot to discuss now that we are finally all together. I think I'll start with my theory on everyone's headaches." Max began.

"Remember the first dream that we all shared of Andrina?" everyone nodded in affirmation.

"She said that we would start getting these specific dreams, of our past, a long time ago."

"I remember that, she said we would be around seven or so" Tess interjected.

"Right, and that we would be ready to return home when we were 16, and fully aware of our past, as well as the means to get home was supposed to have been revealed."

"Oh crap."

"What Michael?" Isabel asked.

"We are 16…why didn't we even think about this when we saw the dream?"

"You guys were pretty overwhelmed with the whole "finding out about your past" thing. It's understandable." Kyle stated.

"That, and if we were supposed to get all these dreams for the past 9 years, and since Tess only joined us recently…the dreams will have to come much faster, possibly causing the pain you have been feeling, and apparently we might have them while we are awake." He said in Isabel's direction.

"Iz, we still don't know what you dreamed about today. Connecting only takes a second…" he said while grabbing his drink and wiping the condensation onto his hand.

"Let's see what you learned" he said while extending his hand to her.

Panicking because of what Max might see she quickly responded "I don't think I dreamed anything today Max! I don't know what happened, but I don't think it had to do with our dreams."

"Iz, just connect with me and let's see what happens." Max insisted.

"She's right Max" Tess cut in.

"What do you mean Tess?" Max replied.

"I think it had nothing to do with a dream, and everything to do with a person." Isabel's face went white as a sheet as she heard Tess speak.

"I heard a voice inside my head today, a voice that told me I should be dead. I remember that voice from Antar…I know I do. I just don't know who it is. It scared me though. More than anything every has before." Tess finished as Michael squeezed her shoulder in support.  
"Wow Tess, I had no idea." Isabel replied regaining her composure.

"I didn't want to alarm any of you, so I was going to keep it to myself for a little while…Michael heard me thinking about it though, and made me tell him."

"No good has ever come from secrets right?" Maria said while poking Kyle in the ribs.

"Hey, that was the Czech's fault…they are the ones who insisted on waiting to tell Tess the truth…" he said in his defense.

"Maria, leave Kyle alone, it wasn't his fault." Tess said while patting Kyle on the back.

"Oh alright, I just love to harass the Buda boy." She replied with a smirk.

"Guys, back to business alright?" Max interrupted.

"I guess I'll start with the dream that me and Iz shared. It was of our mother and her name is Dinah." Max began.

Isabel, Michael, and Tess thought to themselves that the name rang familiar.

"She said that I was a prince and my name was Manais."

Isabel, wanting to have some part in discussing the dream that she shared stated "My name was Megaris and I was a princess like we thought also. Oh, and our father's name was Salvetar."

Michael felt a twinge of something when he heard the name Salvetar…it felt a lot like rage.

"Do you want to tell the dream Isabel?" Max asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, I had the dream too Max. I just wanted to tell some of it. I'll wait until you are done though, and add anything that you forget." She replied.

"Ok, anyway, she said she found out after our deaths that Tess was Andrina's daughter and that prophecy could still be fulfilled somehow. She said for us to always follow our heart, for our heart will always be true. She also said Earth holds more for us than just a place to grow…but she didn't say why."

"The power of four combined will not die…she said something like that also. I wonder what that means?" Isabel mused.

"Well, we heard something along those lines in our dream as well." Michael replied. "There was more to it though.."

"The strength of four combined will forever bind them. Alliance will bring peace, mixed blood shall heal what pure blood destroys. Praise be to the God of Creation." Tess had her eyes closed while she recited the prophecy she remembered. She now opened them and found everyone silent and staring at her.

"I…I just remembered it as if I just heard it." She mumbled.

"Ok, well, now that we know what it said…what can it mean?" Michael replied.

"What else happened in your dream Tess?" Max asked.

"Well, me and Michael were surrounded in a field of blue swaying grass. I could see you Max across the field, in a beautiful gazebo type structure. We followed the sound of your voice and found you talking to…" She suddenly stopped talking…realizing what the dream might mean…

"She was talking to you Maxwell" Michael finished for her. "You were talking about your marriage to her." He said pointing at Tess.

Max almost choked on his cherry coke when he heard what Michael said "What did you say?"

"I said you were talking about your marriage to Tess. Apparently your father arranged it. You had originally been betrothed to someone named…Karindra…I think…she was from Kentwaisis. I was against the marriage." he stated while tapping his finger on the table.

"Yes, Karindra was her name." Tess finished for him.

"Why were you against the marriage?" Max asked in Michael's direction. Tess answered for him.

"For some reason, your father wanted you to marry me instead, but we were NOT in love." She said the last part quickly.

Liz, who's pleasant face had turned into one of a deer in headlights, visibly relaxed at hearing Tess' last revelation.

"I knew Tess didn't love you, and I couldn't understand why she would do it otherwise. She revered your father though, and would do it."

"Why would he want us to marry if I was betrothed to someone else?" Max asked.

Tess shrugged her shoulders and replied "I don't know…but Michael, in my dream, seemed to know…"

All eyes then turned to Michael. He hated being the center of attention and stiffened. Maria patted his hand and he relaxed a little.

"I just remember that your broken betrothal to Karindra would negate an alliance that would have been formed. Also Salvetar did not like ruling by prophecy. He thought Tess was pure blood, and didn't know she was really from Kentwaisis as well." He said gruffly.

"I don't understand" Isabel broke in.

"How would their marriage go against prophecy?"

"Remember? 'The strength of four combined will forever bind them. Alliance will bring peace, mixed blood shall heal what pure blood destroys' ."

"Salvetar did not want to think that pure Antarian blood on the throne would destroy anything. He was an advocate of pure blood as a rule anyway; to the point of being prejudiced against other races." Michael finished.

"But that means that the prophecy would have been fulfilled anyway with Tess because she was of mixed blood…wasn't she?" Maria asked.

"Oh my god…I hadn't thought of that" Tess said turning white. "Maybe they cloned us, and sent us here so that we could come back and…" she trailed off at the end.

"Get married and unite our people…" Max finished very softly.

"No…Max No! That can't be right!" Liz exclaimed while squeezing his hand tight.

Tess began to look a little green at the thought of having to marry Max…but then she felt like she was being selfish. Maybe that's why she was born? To unite her people? She gave a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know Liz…that could be why we are even here."

"But Max feel your heart..." she said while pressing her hand to his chest. "Didn't your mother tell you to listen to your heart above anything else? Does your heart tell you that's the answer?" she finished with a catch in her voice.

Max was silent for a few seconds…and the seconds seemed to stretch like hours for Liz.

"Your right Liz…you are my heart." He replied looking into her eyes and squeezing her hand back.

"Max, I don't want to sound like the crazy one here, but what if we're right? In my dream we did love each other, if not romantically, and you told me that we would make each other our soul mates. Maybe our parents thought we did love each other and would do it?" she stated, her own words making her cringe.

"Tess, look inside your heart for a second…is that what you really think?" Michael asked. He'd seen inside her heart when they connected…he knew she was fooling herself.

Now it was Tess' turn to be silent for a few moments… "No, you are right Michael. I don't love him like that…" she replied stealing a glance at Kyle who looked clearly relieved at her words.

"Now that we have that settled, we'll save more deliberation about that for another time. What else did you find out in your dream?"

"Well, Michael showed up and voiced his thoughts, which you already know, about the marriage. He was against it, for two reasons. The first reason of our not being in love, and because it would show to our people that Antar supported not mixing between races. It seems that Antar was having trouble with bigotry. Michael was against that, and believed that intermixing of races was the only way to peace. He believed the prophecies." Tess said.

Michael then broke in. "Bigotry was so bad on Antar, that females from other planets were not safe on Antar unless they were married and "Melded" to their husbands. That's why our father wanted to send Tess away when she was born. I guess fate stepped in with that one."

At the mention of the word "Melded" Isabel sat up a little straighter. She had melded with Kivar…oh what was she going to do about him?...

"Melding brought safety as somehow being melded gave the female greater strength. As for Michael, he was a student of my father-well step-father I guess-, and I grew up with him. He was like a brother to me…ironically. Anyway, my father, being the head of military operations for Antar, was the main trainer of Michael while he grew up. He spent countless hours at my house being trained and was about to be named Military Commander shortly before our marriage. He was fierce, and even intimidated you a little" Tess said the last statement with a little smile directed to Max.

Michael began to look a little smug, and Max In an effort to change the subject said "Yes well, with all that we've learned, I guess the most important thing is that someone is watching us. Someone who has threatened Tess. Also, we don't know how fast or when these dreams will be occurring, so I want us in pairs at all times. We all have at least one class together, so be on the lookout for anything strange. Keep water with you at all times in case we need to connect, and keep your cell phones on out of school." Max then looked over at Isabel.

"Iz, do you remember anything at all about your time when you were out in the eraser room?"

Isabel tried her best not to look guilty while replying "All I remember is waking up in your arms and you telling me that I made the dream we were in, and to focus on getting us out of it."

"Iz, you weren't yourself before you woke up in my arms." He replied while Isabel started to grimace.

"I wasn't myself? Um, who was I?" she asked tentatively.

"You called yourself by your Antarian name, Megaris, and you were sobbing. You called me Manais and you told me that you… 'let them murder me on my wedding night….'"

"What?" she replied in disbelief. "I don't know what you are talking about Max. I swear I don't."

"Well, maybe it could have something to do with this mystery person that is watching us…" Tess interjected.

"No, Max I—"

"Don't worry about it sis, it has to mean something else…" Isabel relaxed as Max wasn't going to push the subject and the conversation shifted to lighter subjects. As the night progressed, and Isabel tried to maintain a normal façade.

The whole time though, she kept reconsidering who "Megaris" was on Antar. She knew she had betrayed Jaiseti…whom she was supposed to marry and meld with, could she have also betrayed her brother? Should she tell everyone about Kivar? "No…" she thought to herself "If I do that…what will they do? What will Max do…? I need time to think" and with those thoughts Isabel stood and slipped out of the Crashdown. She was headed back to the park to think. In the back of her mind, she was hoping to see Kivar again…

"This is better than I thought. I've found my lost love, and the rest of the royal court all at the same time." Kivar thought to himself while watching the eight of them from his car parked across the street. "I have to protect my kingdom at all costs…prophecy cannot be fulfilled…"

Then he saw Isabel leaving the Crashdown, and walking away alone.

He shifted in his seat and turned on his car "Where are you going my queen…?"


	22. Chapter 22

_I'm back! Here is the newest chapter. Thanks as always to all my readers for your patience with me._

_I just wanted to drop a note to let you guys know of a change. Thanks to a very special Feed Backer ), It has come to my attention that me using different names, than as referred to on the show, of the pod squad when they were on Antar has become a tad confusing. Maybe even alluding to me putting the pod squad into another story and just changing things around. Well, I just want to say that this is all my idea. No plagerism here! I have edited previous chapters to reflect the change on another site I post on, back to Zan, Vilandra, Rath, and Ava-and future chapters will have their names used on the show as well. This will also be my last post on this site. All future posts will be at the Roswell Fanatics site. If you put "Roswell Fanatics" into the google search engine, the first site that pops up is the right one. My story is under "Alternate Universe With Aliens". There are TONS of stories on that site about Roswell, and you will simply love it. Thank you to everyone who is reading, and I can't wait to see you over there! (if you have any questions, please email me!) -Andrea_

**Chapter 22**

Alex noticed Isabel leaving when no once else seemed to. He shrugged to himself, and decided to follow her. Weren't they in the least bit concerned that she was walking off alone and they were "supposed to stay in pairs at all times"  
Sometimes the pod squad got on his last nerve. Stepping out of the Crashdown, he looked left and right and could not see her anywhere. It was like she just disappeared. Getting worried, he decided to tell everyone else before trying to find her on his own. He walked right back in and ran over to Max.

"Max! Do you notice someone missing here?" he exclaimed with his hands on his hips.

Max gave him a confused look, then began to look around "Where's Isabel? Did you see where she went Alex?"

"I just saw her leaving. I tried to follow her, but when I got outside she was gone. No thanks to you.." he replied the last part under his breath.

"What was that?" Max asked, but before Alex could reply Maria butted in with her hand thrown out for emphasis.

"I can't believe she just…left after that whole talk! That doesn't make any sense…" Maria replied.

"Let me see if I can contact her…" Max stated while closing his eyes. Everyone fell silent waiting for his response.

"No, nothing. It feels like she's blocking me…"

"Something must be wrong." Liz interjected.

"Alex, do you know where she could have gone?" Max asked.

"No, your guess is as good as mine….I have a growing, gnawing feeling that she's putting herself into danger though…" Alex replied.

"Ok, we need to split up. Alex, you are with me and Kyle. Tess and Michael go with Maria. Keep your cell phones on and call if you find her first."

"Got it." Tess replied.

"Max wait, let me see if my dad will let me off work, so I can go too!" Liz announced.

"No Liz. You need to stay here. She might come back and then you will need to call and tell us."

"Ok Max, well…just please be careful…" She replied while pulling him to her for a quick hug and kiss. Max squeezed her back and then let go quickly. Liz felt the loss of his warmth and hugged her arms to herself. As she looked on with a frown on her face, Max returned to the group.

"Let's go." Max said and they all filed out of the Crashdown.

Ever since Kivar found out that Vilandra and the rest had been cloned, his scientists had developed a way to channel his meld with her; the meld serving as a beacon. It seemed like he had been searching for her forever… They finally pinpointed her location to Roswell, NM and Kivar dropped everything, leaving his second in command Nikolas in charge. He enrolled in Roswell High, not expecting to find Vilandra right off the bat, but luck seemed to still be in his favor. He had Antar under control for the most part, but he needed her if he was to ever have true control. The people had always loved Vilandra, as had he. He quickly saw the direction she was heading, and beat her to the park. Stealthily getting out, he made his way over to a thicket of trees and hid. She had always enjoyed his surprise entrances to their interludes…

Isabel could hear the crunch of grass beneath her feet and could feel the wind blowing through her hair. Looking around to make sure she was not followed, and satisfied that she wasn't, she turned her eyes towards a thicket of trees where she could practically feel Kivar radiating. She approached with caution, and a jumble of mixed feelings. The only thought in her head was "I have to end this…"

"Kivar, I know you are in there. We need to talk. Come out."

"Vilandra…how nice to see you again my love." Isabel took a step back at hearing those words.

"Please don't call me that…I'm not that person anymore" she said with nervous fidgeting hands.

Kivar took a step towards her then and reached out a hand to stroke her cheek "Ah, but you are! You just haven't embraced it yet…" Isabel couldn't help but shiver as his touch aroused something primal within her, but a flash of Alex's face appeared before her eyes and she forced herself to take another step back and look away from his piercing eyes.

"Don't you understand me? I don't want to embrace anything with you!" She struggled to say, each word like a dagger to her soul. This was the hardest thing she ever had to do, but she just knew in her heart that it just wasn't right.

"Vilandra…?" Kivar looked at her with confusion painted on his face. He then seemed to suddenly realize that Isabel really didn't want him…but how was that possible? Melding with her assured him a lifetime ago that she would always be his. His mood changed swiftly from that of loving to anger.

Gathering his resolve he took another step towards her and grabbed her arms so she couldn't back away from him again "It doesn't matter. You WILL embrace it whether you want to or not…" he finished his eyes going black.

"Hey! Get your hands off of her!" Alex screamed, running up towards Isabel.

"Alex get away from here…ung ahh!" she grunted as Kivar's fingers dug into her flesh.

"Who is that Vilandra? Have you been a naughty girl with this human?" he asked making Isabel seeth with anger. "I'll just take care of that little distraction…" he stated as he held up his right hand and light started to gather there.

Max was just about to catch up with Alex, who had been at a dead run since he spotted Isabel. As Kivar was about to let a blast go in Alex's direction Isabel struggled against him trying to deflect his aim, but it was no use. He was too strong for her.

"Noooooooooooo!" she screamed as Alex took the hit square in the chest. Max put up his shield right after Alex took the hit and surrounded him and Kyle as well over Alex's fallen body. Kyle was calling the others on his cell, as Max checked Alex over. Isabel took the opportunity to changer her tune and to try and distract Kivar from Alex and the others.

"Kivar…wow. You are right. You are the only one for me. I see that now." She told him seductively, trying her best to be convincing.

"I knew once I eliminated that little annoyance, you would remember that…" he replied with a smile on his face. "Now I just need to finish him off, along with your brother…" he stated as he turned and held up his hand, again letting the light begin to gather there.

"No! No, not now my love. I need to be close to you…right now…" she replied as she ran her hand down his cheek and drew his lips down to meet hers in a passionate kiss.

"I guess they can wait a minute…" he replied as he allowed their lips to meet and she felt the memories begin.

Vilandra had been asleep when a loud commotion in the hallway outside her chamber awakened her. After quickly pulling a heavy green robe around her, and stepping into slippers, she ran to her door and found that it was locked. The commotion grew louder, and she was confused as to why someone would lock her door… She decided to use her powers and the door clicked open. What she found was even more confusing.

That night her brother had wedded Ava, daughter of Lyatso. It had been a beautiful wedding, filled with laughter and friendship. She knew her brother didn't really love Ava, but was marrying her at the request of their father. Except for the wedding vows being a tad strained, understandably, the wedding had went off without a hitch.

While sharing a dance at the reception Isabel had talked with her brother alone "Brother, I know you don't love Ava…it's almost incestuous what you guys have!" she said with a grimace on her face.

"Vilandraaaaa" Zan replied in the tone he had used with her since childhood. "Yes we have grown up with Ava and yes, she is almost like a sister to me…but…"

"But?" Vilandra asked.

"But, for the sake of Father, I did it. It pleased him, and he won't be with us for much longer." He replied while twirling her around.

"Besides, I do love her…maybe it will turn into more…" he stated not convincingly.

"You keep telling yourself that big brother…True Love is very important" she replied while stealing a glance in Kivar's direction. He was looking right at her and she blushed deeply as she turned away.

"Thinking about Rath sister?" he asked with a grin, while twirling her again.

"Oh, um, yeah." She replied while tucking her hair behind her ear with her free hand.

"He's loved you since we were children…I know you will be very happy with him."

"Um, he makes me very happy brother." She said while not meeting his eyes. Zan gave her a confused look, as she didn't seem very convincing. Then he followed her gaze across the room and saw that Kivar was staring intently at his sister. She seemed to be meeting his gaze. He didn't like the way that soldier was looking at her, but instead of ruining the night, he twirled his sister again and whisked her to the opposite side of the dance floor; away from those eyes.

Vilandra had these memories in her head as she peeked outside of her door and saw soldiers piling into her brothers chambers, down the hall. Fear gripping her heart she ran down the hallway and saw Nikolas, Kivars best friend, coming out of the room. Something was definitely wrong…they were not supposed to be there…especially on her brothers wedding night! Fearing she would be seen, she darted down an adjacent hallway and hid behind a tapestry. After not hearing any more footsteps, she slowly walked out and down the hallway to her brother's door. After knocking and not hearing anything, she found that his door was unlocked. A growing sense of dread was filling her, as she walked across the foyer of his rooms. When she got to her brother's door she called out

"Zan? Ava? Is everything alright?" Not hearing any answer or sound, she slowly pushed open the door. The sight she was met with horrified her.

"Zaaan! Oh No No No, he couldn't have!" she screamed as she saw her brother. He was in his dressing robe and was flat on his face just two feet in front of the door. He had a huge, black burn mark in his back and blood was everywhere. She couldn't see Ava anywhere. Scared for her life, and quickly going numb with having seen her brother, she looked around the room for Ava. She saw a big lump under the covers of the big bed in the center of the room.

"Ava? Are you here?" she asked while looking around the room. Not seeing any other place she could be, she walked over to the bed; dreading each step. She pulled back the covers and was met with another horrifying site. Ava had been strangled, and her eyes had been put out. Blood was everywhere and Vilandra started to see black spots before her eyes. Fighting passing out, she covered her sister-in-law's body again and ran to the edge of the room and vomited. When she was done, she wiped her mouth with the edge of her robe and her eyes fell on Zan's dagger from his royal military uniform. He had worn it today in honor of his wedding. She grabbed it in her hand and unsheathed it. Just then Kivar swept into the room, having checked Vilandra's locked door and finding her gone.

"Vilandra! What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Kivar what have you done?" Vilandra screamed. "How could you? I told you I didn't want them DEAD! They're my family!"

"Vilandra, I didn't kill them, I swear!" he replied while taking a few steps toward her.

"Stop. Just stop right there." She cried with her hand up in front of her. "You will never be able to touch me…ever again. Not after this…You betrayed me." She sobbed.

"No Vilandra, don't!" he yelled as she aimed the dagger just below her breast bone.  
"What's going on in here?" Rath yelled as he came in the door behind Kivar. When his eyes took in his surroundings his hand instantly went up in the direction of Kivar. "I knew you were a traitor!" Rath screamed.

"You were never good enough for her…" Kivar sneered as he turned before Rath could get a blast off and let off a blast of his own in Rath's direction. As Rath crumpled to the floor Kivar heard Isabel's grunt as she stabbed herself.

"…and you will never be good enough for me Kivar…" she replied as she went down to her knees, blood dripping down the front of her dress.

"No! Vilandra, Nooo!" he yelled as he caught her before she hit the floor. "Nikolas! I need a healer in here now!"

"It's too late Kivar…I never should have loved you…" she cried with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No…don't leave me…I love you…Vilandra….." Kivar cried while she died in his arms.


	23. Chapter 23

_Well, I have decided to come back and to continue posting on this site. I realize the other site I post on might be hard to navigate and it is also easier to leave f/b here. So, here comes a couple of new chapters! I hope you guys remember me, or if you are reading this for the first time, I hope you enjoy it! All comments are welcome... Bon Apetit )_

**Chapter 23**

"…OK, we'll be right there…" Tess said quickly and she clicked her phone shut.

"What did Kyle say Tess?" Michael asked as Tess grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him towards Maria's Jetta.

"He said they found Isabel, and…" she swallowed hard as she suddenly felt a big lump in her throat.

"What, what?" Maria asked as she followed beside Michael.

"…and also…maybe who has been watching us…" she replied while wiping her suddenly wet eyes and jumping into the car. Michael took a deep breath as he turned on the car.

"It will be ok Tess. Whoever it is they won't hurt you, I promise…now, where are we going?"

Tess snapped her seatbelt into place "Roswell Central Park" and with that Michael threw the car into gear and stepped down hard on the gas.

Maria reached back and grabbed Tess' hand. "Don't worry Tess, we won't let anything happen to you…."

While fighting back tears and the panic building in her, Tess stared hard at her human friend. She couldn't believe someone could care that much about her. No one ever had before… "Thank you Maria that means a lot…" she replied while taking another deep breath. Maria squeezed her hand then released it, turning around and snapping her seat belt on.

After Isabel saw those memories, she felt a presence in her head that was not her own. Vilandra was fighting for control after being awoken from memories of her past. Instead of relinquishing control of her mind, Isabel simply yielded to her and felt Vilandra and her memories, mix with hers…all at once she was different. She was still Isabel, but now felt Vilandra coursing through her veins. Her eyes snapped open, and Isabel threw Kivar off of her in disgust, hitting him hard across the mouth with the back of her hand. She felt hot emotions flowing through her…revulsion, loathing, abhorrence, hatred, nausea, and at the forefront BETRAYAL… Isabel's eyes turned black with fury, her hands began crackling with white hot energy at her sides. She began to focus on her meld with Kivar, and instantly tried to melt it. Although it caused excruciating pain, she continued to push. With a blood curling scream, she felt the connection to Kivar disintegrate; that's when she felt someone or something else take over her body.

"Betrayer…you have done the unthinkable…" she stated while raising her arm and pointing at Kivar. Kivar pushed himself up to his knees and wiped at his bloody lip; a twinge of trepidation twisting in his stomach as he realized it was no longer Isabel talking. Isabel began rising off of the ground as the white energy circled around her feet.

"You were given a precious gift, and you chose to betray it. This has never been done before; therefore punishment for this type of crime has not been decided yet. We, the creators of Antar and many other worlds, have felt your meld partner's pain. Since she had to endure the pain of melding with a betrayer, and the pain of severing that bond, she will be the one to decide your fate…"

Kivar stood to his feet, trying to hide his fear behind defiance. "You can't do this! She is my melded partner. She is bonded to me for the last lifetime, this one, and the ones to come! It is written in the ancient books--"

"SILENCE male Brevanian!" the creators screamed through the mouth of Isabel. "We wrote the ancient books, and we can add to them as we see fit… The energy that surrounded Isabel suddenly lifted and a ball of white light floated over her head.

"Princess of Antar" the creators said in a strong voice through the white light "You are now the Judge of Kivar, a son of Brevany. What is your verdict?"

Isabel her eyes still black with menace and seething with fury; with her hands fisted at her sides, said in a very stern by quiet voice "Guilty…and his punishment…DEATH!" she hissed.

The light that was floating above her head said one final word "Granted" and slammed back into her body. She could feel the energy growing stronger and stronger in her belly. Kivar was now just standing in dumfounded silence. As he felt her energy build, he knew what was coming. Before she could do anything he mouthed three words to her. "This isn't over…"

"This is for my family that was, and still is, you TRAITOR!" she screamed as she stretched her hands down in Kivars direction and let the energy fly. "Anak veir Dregis!" (Death to Traitors) she screamed in the ancient language as she sent another blast into Kivars body.

He was knocked flat on his back with the first hit, the second hit lit him up from head to foot in a blood red light. Then with a hair-raising scream he disintegrated to ash; then, to nothing.

Isabel floated down from her high vantage, and was set gently back on the ground. The white light receded and she felt the creators leave her body. As they ascended she could sense them telling her that she would live a full life now; and she had their blessing.

Max had dropped his shield as soon as Isabel started floating, and had finished healing Alex. In awe of what was happening, Alex simply sat up and stared as the events unfolded. He was still on the ground as Isabel floated down. Kyle ran to Maria's approaching car, as Max ran over to Isabel. Alex then stood, and ran after Max.

"Iz! Wow, what happened to you?" Max asked as he reached her and fiercely hugged his sister to him.

"Let's just say, my past came to visit me. It wasn't a pleasant past, and our creators let me dispose of him." She said in relief.

"Our creators?" Max asked.

"Izzy!" Alex exclaimed as he encompassed her in a huge bear hug. "I was so worried! I'm so glad you are ok. You mean so much to me…" he trailed off at the end as he squeezed her harder.

Isabel could feel tears prick the corners of her eyes as she felt so loved in Alex's arms. The feelings she had right now rivaled those she had felt once her meld with Kivar was awakened. She assumed the meld blocked feelings for others, and was so glad she was rid of it. "You mean a lot to me too Alex…" she replied as she squeezed him back and lightly kissed him on the cheek.

Just then Michael, Maria, Tess and Kyle ran up.

"Isabel are you ok?" Michael asked.

Pulling back from Alex, but grabbing hold of his hand, she turned so she could face the rest of them "Yes Michael I'm fine. That was a singular experience though."

"What happened?" Tess asked. The foreboding feeling she had felt since almost running that guy over had swiftly vanished.

"Um, I need to tell you guys a little story…but we can't do it here" she replied.

"Don't worry Iz, I've already checked the area. I don't think anyone saw what happened." Max stated.

"Honestly, let's go to Michael's apartment or something. I have a lot to tell you guys and I'm going to need some time to do that."

"How much time are we talking about?" Maria asked "I have to get the Jetta home soon".

"Well, during my time floating in the air, I seemed to have acquired Vilandra's memories…as well as a little of her personality." Looks of confusion flitted across everyone's faces at hearing that last part.

"Don't worry, I am still in control of my body guys" she stated with a smile.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Michael said impatiently.

"Can it wait half an hour sis? I'd like Liz to be there for this." Max asked.

"Yeah Max. Call Lizipoo and tell her to meet us at Michaels after her shift is done." Isabel replied with a smirk.

Maria rolled her eyes, seeing one of her best friends hand in hand with Isabel. She knew Isabel would do the same thing in a heart beat. "I'll just drop you guys off and go pick her up. That way I can pick up my mom also, and she can drop us both off and take the car. She said she needed it to go to Boot Shaker's tonight."

"Kyle, didn't Jim say something about going to Boot Shaker's tonight also?" Tess asked.

"Looks like soon, I might be calling you bro, huh?" Maria asked while poking Kyle in the ribs.

Kyle slapped his hand to his forehead and grunted "Ungh, Don't remind me…"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Maria's mom pulled her Jetta in front of Michael's apartment and Maria jumped out, followed close behind by Liz.

"They better not start without us!" Maria exclaimed. "See you later mom!" she said as she waved bye to her mom.

"Relax Maria. If Max wanted me there, I don't think that would happen." She replied with a grin. Maria continued to mutter to herself as they walked up the stairs to Michael's apartment.

As Liz raised her hand to knock, Michael opened the door from the inside.

"About time you guys showed up…Isabel is starting to creep me out with the looks she keeps throwing me." He said nervously as he ushered them into his living area. Liz and Maria exchanged a look and then noticed Isabel staring at both of them. Suddenly self-conscious, Liz hurried to where Max was sitting and sat down at his feet. Max reached down and encircled her in his arms and Liz relaxed instantly.

Maria had snatched up Michael's hand when she pried her gaze away from Isabel's and they sat down together near Max and Liz. She couldn't quite interpret the look on Iz's face, but Michael was right, it was unnerving.

Isabel was seated in a dining room chair that she had pulled near the others. She had her feet gathered to her, with her arms around her legs, and her head was resting on her knees.

Max on the other hand seemed to be studying his sister. "That was a favorite position of yours, wasn't it…" Max told Isabel, while appearing to imagine it in his mind. "I have a vague memory tugging at me seeing you sitting like that…"

"Yes! On Antar the seats are built to float, and all are wide enough to pull up your feet." Isabel replied then her expression broke, and she looked down and to the side. Her expression turned to that of shame.

Alex, who was closest to her, reached out and touched her arm. "What is it Iz?" he asked gently.

Isabel briefly met Alex's eyes then looked around at everyone else, before looking down again. "I have to tell you all something…and I'm very ashamed about it."

After hearing the anguish in his sisters voice, Max got up and walked over to her. He took her hand in his and squeezed it. She reluctantly picked her eyes up and looked back at her brother.

"Iz, you are my sister, and nothing will ever change the love I have for you. You can trust me on that." Various statements of mutual affirmation and encouragement were heard from everyone else and Isabel took a deep breath of relief. Well, not exactly relief, but at least she felt a little better.

"I know you all don't remember much about life on Antar…but the last year we spent alive, I did something I wasn't supposed to do. You never knew the truth…none of you did."

Max was settling back in his seat above Liz as Isabel began, and couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at her words…where was this going?

"It actually began a long time before that, but the consequences of my choice built up that last year." She paused then and bit her bottom lip, still a little hesitant to talk. Alex reached over and gave her hand a squeeze, and she turned a grateful half smile in his direction.

"I know you guys don't remember him…but there is someone who we grew up with that was directly or indirectly involved in all of our deaths…and I…….I fell in love with him."

"What!" Michael broke out.

"But, it's not what you think!" Isabel quickly replied. Looks of confusion and horror passed between them all.

"Iz what are you saying?" Max interjected.

"I think in order for you guys to understand fully, I must start at the beginning, but I'll try to summarize it all. As you can tell, this is really hard for me to talk about, so if you guys could hold all your questions till I'm done, I'd appreciate it."

"Take you time Iz, we're all listening" Max replied.

"Ok, well you and I.." this was said in the direction of Max "…were the only children of our parents Dinah and Salvetar. Our names, as you know, were Vilandra and Zan. We grew up with the nobility of Antar, as well as male children of nobility from neighboring worlds. Antar's Military Defense and Scholastic achievements were famed throughout the galaxy and the majority of the nobility of these other worlds chose to send their sons to Antar for their training and education. Our neighboring planet, Brevany, also sent their only heir to the throne. His name was Kivar."

Max felt a chill run through him at the mention at that name…he knew that's who Isabel had turned to dust earlier. Tess felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and shifted closer to Kyle who was sitting to her left. Kyle in turn froze at having Tess so near to him, obviously looking for support. He looked down to meet here eyes and she smiled weakly at him in return. He thought to himself their little "talk" was drawing nigh.

"Kivar was a good friend of the four of us. He was almost as good as Michael at war games, and was almost as good at Max in his scholastic achievements. If he was bitter about being second best he never really showed it. You and Rath, what Michael used to be called, were best friends. You would often disappear, after your studies were done, for hours on end. Ava, what Tess used to be called, associated with us scholastically, but was always called home after school. We never really knew why, but now I can guess as I'm sure you can as well."

When she was met with more confused faces, she decided to explain this detail. "Tess was not really the daughter of Lyatso and Mayverna. She was the daughter of Andrina and Jameus, and because of her mixed heritage did not have the same powers as other Antarian girls her age. Since she would be virtually powerless against a threat, Lyatso probably kept her busy at home. I didn't know of this at the time, and I just thought she was shy or maybe even did not like me." Isabel then took a deep breath. "That left Kivar. After Zan and Rath would disappear to who knows where, and Ava would run home, I would be left alone at the palace to amuse myself. Kivar was always there to fill in the gap. During our childhood we became good friends. All through those years I saw subtle signs of his dark streak, but since he seemed to be my only confidant, I chose to ignore them. By the time we were of melding age, I was already heavily involved with him. Even though all he could talk about at the time was putting me on the throne as Queen of Antar, and him ruling by my side, I didn't really believe he would hurt any of my loved ones in the process. I basically allowed myself to be deceived by my love for him. In reality I was betrothed to Rath…" she said this with a slight upward glance at Michael "…but I did not love him that way. I was completely in love with Kivar and blind to his motives. When the day came that he asked me to meld with him…I agreed. I was the happiest I had ever been. It was a short lived bliss though, as only a few weeks later, Zan had his wedding day with Ava."

She was met with more confused faces "No guys, the wedding itself wasn't bad, It acutally was a beautiful ceremony, strained at times because Zan and Ava were not in love, but beautiful none the less. It was that night I awoke to a feeling of trepidation as I heard lots of footfalls outside of my door. When I got up to check who was about at that late hour I found that my door was locked. This alarmed me further, but without a second thought I used my powers to quietly unlock my door. What I saw were soldiers piling into Zan and Ava's honeymoon chamber, down the hall. At the head of the group was Kivar's best friend Nikolas. Seeing him alerted me that Kivar was behind whatever was going on. My heart broke instantly, but I kept my feelings at bay, fearing what I might find next. I ran down the hallway, and then hid behind a tapestry as I heard retreating footsteps from the room. I was so terrified, but as soon as the sound was gone, I crept over to the doorway and knocked softly. I didn't hear anything so I pushed open the slightly ajar door. When I got to Zan & Ava's door I called out to them. There was so reply, so I pushed open the door. The sight I was met with will haunt me for-ever…" A sob got caught in her throat and she paused for a moment to gather her strength and her breath "Zan was on the floor, face down in a pool of blood. There wa-as a big black hole in his back. I screamed and then went numb with the weight of the emotion that was coursing through me. I then found Ava on the bed, under rumpled covers. Those monsters had put out her eyes and strangled her." Isabel was crying freely now and so were many others around her. Alex put his arm around her shoulders protectively and squeezed her.

"There was so much blood everywere…so much blood…I almost blacked out and was sick in a corner of the room. My eyes then fell on Zan's dagger; the one he had used as part of his military dress for the wedding. I took it out just before Kivar appeared in the ro-oom. He…unh…" She began to sob and Alex pulled her into his arms. He stroked her hair and whispered random encouragements in her ear. Isabel's sobs subsided a little and she turned, stretching her right hand out in front of her.

"Iz, what are you doing?" Michael asked misunderstanding her intent. Suddenly a holographic projection jumped into focus in front of them all. Suddenly they were looking at the room it happened in.

"Vilandra! What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Kivar what have you done?" Vilandra screamed. "How could you? I told you I didn't want them DEAD! They're my family!"

"Vilandra, I didn't kill them, I swear!" he replied while taking a few steps toward her.

"Stop. Just stop right there." She cried with her hand up in front of her. "You will never be able to touch me…ever again. Not after this…You betrayed me." She sobbed.

"No Vilandra, don't!" he yelled as she aimed the dagger just below her breast bone.

"What's going on in here?" Rath yelled as he came in the door behind Kivar. When his eyes took in his surroundings his hand instantly went up in the direction of Kivar. "I knew you were a traitor!" Rath screamed.

"You were never good enough for her…" Kivar sneered as he turned before Rath could get a blast off and let off a blast of his own in Rath's direction. As Rath crumpled to the floor Kivar heard Isabel's grunt as she stabbed herself.

"…and you will never be good enough for me Kivar…" she replied as she went down to her knees, blood dripping down the front of her dress.

"No! Vilandra, Nooo!" he yelled as he caught her before she hit the floor. "Nikolas! I need a healer in here now!"

"It's too late Kivar…I never should have loved you…" she cried with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No…don't leave me…I love you…Vilandra….." Kivar cried while she died in his arms.

"That sick bastard thought I could forgive him for his betrayal..." Isabel snapped gathering some of her composure back. "I don't know how I ever loved him…" she then said with a slight catch in her voice. "I just couldn't bear living after that…I just couldn't!"

She unexpectedly found another set of strong arms encircling her from the front. Max had tears in his eyes when she looked up at him. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that Iz. I…I somhow feel I could have prevented it somehow."

"No Max, you did what you could. You were a king in training and had other responsibilities. I should have known. I just…let myself be fooled."

Suddenly Michael had his hand on her shoulder "No Iz, neither of you is to blame. We were all victims of circumstance. You can't blame yourself."

Still feeling guilty she replied "I don't think our parents would have cloned me if they knew what kind of a person I was…" she sobbed.

Max tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes as he replied "Iz, you are here for a reason, and so are the rest of us. Even though we were cloned we are still here for a purpose. No matter what happened in our past, the future is what's important…and you are very important to me."

"I've always thought of you as a sister too Iz, you are also very important to me" Michael broke in.

"I guess I couldn't consider the future till I faced the past" Iz replied. "You both are as important to me as life." She said as she squinted from the sudden sunlight filling the window…but the sun should have set by now…

"What's wrong with Tess?" Kyle exclaimed as he jumped back from her. A bright and luminescent light was emanating from her whole body.

She seemed to float off of the couch and when her mouth moved, a voice they did not recognized spoke "The royal four finally understand the meaning of life…it is family and how important each member is individually and as a unit. The approaching war could never be waged while you were still singular in your thinking. No matter what you are, you have done, or will do; your connection to each other must be strong and unwavering. Here is the path to the answers you have been searching for…" Tess said with a flourish of her hand.

A holographic image, similar to the one that Isabel had used before, sprung up in front of them all. The image was bigger and crisper than the previous one. It showed a path, about twice as fast as normal leading down the highway and then at a certain point, into the desert. A distinct rock formation came into view and the image showed the pathway to the center of the formation. A silver handprint sprung up from the rock face and glowed once while a door in the rock slid open to reveal a dark room.

"Here is where you, and your chosen human companions, must go for your questions to be answered" the voice that was not Tess said. "Make haste as the time of your departure draws nigh." The light swiftly left Tess' body and Kyle caught her as she fell back onto the couch.


	25. Chapter 25

New Chapter! To all my readers and those special people who review...**Nikkitan89, Emma 134, Gigga, Red-Rumm, Mangoaddict, Trude, Mony 19, somewhere87, Running-Wild22, Aoi-sama**.. Thank you! I know some of you follow this story on RF, but I wanted to include you too. I wouldn't have the inspiration or the drive to write if it weren't for you guys. Please keep the reviews coming and let me know what you are thinking... Thanks again, and enjoy!

**Chapter 25**

The sun was shining bright over the desert sands, and everyone was squinting as they kept a look out for their turn off. The air was electric with excitement, wariness, and apprehension. All eight occupants of the Whitman minivan were silent, but their minds were racing with thoughts. Alex kept stealing glances at Isabel, who was in the passenger seat, and pressed down a little harder on the accelerator when he realized he was going 10 under the speed limit.

The day before, after Tess had come out of whatever she had been taken over by, pandemonium had broken out. Everyone's first question, of course, was "what was that?" Except for Isabel, who automatically recognized that it was the voice of the creators coming from Tess' mouth due to the presence exuded by her. You can't have the creators take over your body and not recognize it when it happens to someone else! Kyle had gently shaken Tess after he caught her, and she woke up almost immediately.

"You can stop shaking me now Kyle!" Tess exclaimed with amusement in her eyes.

"God Tess! I thought something happened to you… Are you ok? What just happened?" he said all at once. Michael was right behind him.

"I'm fine Kyle. I'm better than ever actually." She replied with a relieved smile.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Michael asked with a tinge of fear in his voice.

"No worries bro, I feel perfectly fine" she replied, giving his arm a squeeze.

Isabel had rushed over to Tess as soon as Kyle caught her and was now standing over her.

"What do you mean? If it looked and felt like I think it did, then the creators just paid us a visit."

"Yes they did" Tess replied. "They told me the message has been waiting to be triggered since our creation"

"What are you saying Tess?" Max asked, coming over to stand by his sister.

Liz, sensing Max's need for reassurance, came up and took Max's hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. He looked back at her and gave her a quick grateful smile. Michael getting impatient, as was his nature, was beginning to sweat. He couldn't believe what was happening…it was happening so fast!

Maria couldn't believe it what was happening either. She could tell the pieces of the puzzle were rapidly forming a picture for the aliens, and wondered with a stab of fear, what that was spelling out for her and her three human friends. She thought to herself "I can't lose him…not when I feel the way that I do! I love you so much Michael!"

Alex was thinking the same thing. His beautiful Isabel that he was only beginning to understand just how much he loved, was beginning to draw away from him. He thought to himself "Iz is now sharing memories with her past self Vilandra, and she's about to find the way home to her world. She's going to leave me alone in mine…"

Kyle was staring at the woman of his dreams in disbelief. "This is happening to fast…we haven't had our talk…she's on her way off of earth, and we'll never have a chance to be together…to have a family together…wait… a family?" He hadn't even realized himself, what Tess meant to him. She meant much more than he ever realized until this very moment. The moment he was faced with losing her…

"Well, I don't know how it was for Iz when she was taken over, but while the creators used me to speak through, they also gave me a little knowledge as to why it was happening."

"They didn't do that with me" Iz quickly replied. "I knew what they were saying when they were inside me, and I had the impression that I had their blessing while they were departing, but that's pretty much it."

"Well..." Tess began, "they told me the trigger was our understanding of the importance of family and the strength it brings…the meaning of life. They also told me it was my destiny to be the light; to lead the way home for us."

Various exclamations of shock and awe were heard all around as everyone struggled to take what Tess was saying in. The alien's common though was "We're going home?" The humans were thinking "We'll be alone…"

"Guys!" Max said loudly to stop the random murmurings of the group "We don't know what all this means right now, so I think we shouldn't drive ourselves crazy with speculation."

"Max…" Liz asked trying to hide the thick emotion in her throat "will you go? I mean if you find the way home…" Max turned her so he could face her fully since she was avoiding his gaze.

"Liz, I've told you before…you are my home….right here with you is where I belong" he said as he gathered her to himself.

Maria looked up at Michael and he took her hand a squeezed it before gathering her in for a hug as well.

"I can't believe we might have the chance to go home…" Isabel stated to no one in particular. "I have so many memories of it from when Vilandra added her memories to mine. I remember our mom and dad Max…I remember Dinah and Salvetar…I.."

"Don't worry Iz, we still don't know for sure what we'll find at that rock, in the desert." Max replied while sending his sister an encouraging look.

Conversations were being had by all the respective couples now, and the tension in the room was intensifying.

"Iz" Alex started and asked the question he did not know if he wanted the answer to "do you want to go home?"

"Oh Alex, I…you are so important to me…I know I haven't told you how much of how I feel. There has been so much going on lately." She replied while taking his hands in hers and pulling him down onto the loveseat closest to her.

"Yeah, I know." Alex replied while looking at his hands. "I also know I'm not being fair with you to ask you that question now." There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence followed by a slightly frustrated sigh from Isabel.

"Whatever happens Alex, I want you to know that…" Alex looked up to meet her eyes "I never knew true love till I loved you" and she fell into his embrace as he hugged her back and was struck speechless.

Alex gripped the steering wheel just a little tighter, as thoughts churned in his mind. "How can she consider leaving me if she loves me? I love her…so much…" He stole another look at her out of the corner of his eye. God she was beautiful.

She was wearing a green V-neck top with tiny sleeves and brown jeans. She was wearing the green topaz necklace he had bought her for her birthday and it shimmered in the sun just like the green flecks in her hazel eyes. She hadn't wanted to accept the gift when he had presented her with it because of it worth, but Alex had insisted telling her "It's a precious stone for a special friend. You will do me a dishonor if you refuse!" and with that her resolve had crumbled. She wore it only on special occasions.

Max had Liz firmly against his side with his arm around her shoulders. She had her head on his shoulder and her eyes were closed as she breathed in his scent. She felt so safe when she was in his embrace. He had told her his home was with her… What did that mean? Would he stay and let Isabel, Michael, and Tess go back to their home world if they had the chance to go back? Could she honestly ask him to sacrifice that chance to be with her? "I'm being so selfish…" she thought to herself "He would be willing to stay for me, and I'm not willing to let him go." She pressed her lips to his neck and he nuzzled back against her mouth to give her better access. "I don't think I could ever let him go…" she thought as she wrapped her free arm across his waist.

Max felt Liz's gentle kiss and was comforted by her. He leaned into her to have even more contact with her and sighed in contentment. This is where he knew he was meant to be…in her arms. If he went back he'd be a king. He'd have a queen…Tess… he shuddered inwardly at that thought. They couldn't make them be married after all that has happened could they? He then gave himself a mental shake. "No, I'm meant to be with Liz. She is my home. Nothing will ever change that…" was his resolute thought.

Isabel shifted in her seat as she felt Alex's gaze on her once again. She was thinking to herself as she idly played with her necklace "How can I do it? How can I leave him? Maybe I won't have to…" she winced inwardly as her thoughts swirled. Her soul was telling her she'd never find a love like his…but her head was telling her if the chance arose, to go home. Her people needed her…right? She glanced over her shoulder at Tess, who seemed to be staring contentedly out the window. "How can she be so calm!" she thought.

Maria and Michael thought to themselves that they got the short end of the stick as they were separated by a seat. Max and Liz had quickly taken the back seat, letting Kyle and Tess have the first row so Tess could better direct Alex. That left Maria and Michael separated, Maria beside Liz, and Michael beside Tess. Michael of course liked being near his sister, but right now he really needed to feel Maria. She made him feel good about himself like no one ever could. Even with her wacky ways she was his rock. She completed all that was incomplete in him. He looked back at her and grabbed her hand, not caring that what he was about to do was against the law. He pulled her out of her seat and into his lap where she went willingly and quickly, almost as if the idea had been hers instead of his. He gathered her closely to his chest and positioned her face close to his own. "I love you Maria" he said in a whisper and with longing in his eyes. She let herself be encompassed in his arms and whispered back into his ear "I love you too Spaceboy" and squeezed him tight. She thought to herself "Please never leave me Michael…" as a tear escaped one eye.

Tess saw Iz look back at her out of the corner of her eye, and sighed as she pretended not to notice. "Everything will be fine, I just know it!" she thought to herself. "Why can't everyone else feel it?" Well she know that her human friends might not, but not Max, Michael, and Izzy. "I don't know how I know, but I know It will be ok."

Kyle reached for Tess' hand when she looked out the window again. She gladly laced her fingers with his when she felt him initiate the contact. His mind was a blur with confusion, but when he touched Tess, everything seemed to settle down. When she looked into his eyes she reflected peace, and something else…something that made his knees weak. If he had been standing, he knew his knees would have buckled…

As Tess looked back at Kyle she saw the desperation in his eyes and tried to send him reassuring feelings with her eyes. She took in his face and the strength of his hold on her hand, and couldn't help but feel more for him…so much more than friendship. She was so filled with…love… "I love him…" she thought to herself as she stared back at him. Finally admitting to herself that she now loved him, she then thought to herself "Will it be ok? Will I be queen when I go back? Will I have to be with Max?" The thought of that began to make her queasy, and she pushed that thought away. She knew the creators wouldn't do that to them…right? She looked up and saw a familiar group of bushes as well as a huge bunch of cane cholla cactus that marked their turn off.

"Alex, turn right there, after the big bunch of cactus."

Alex practically jumped out of his skin, after Tess' voice broke the silence in the van. He tried to calm his breathing as he replied. "Ok Tess" He looked over at Isabel, who was staring at him and gave her a reassuring smile…at least he hoped it looked reassuring. "Here we go…" he said as he made a right turn and the van started to bump along the sand and gravel.


	26. Chapter 26

_New Chapter! Please Review:)_

**Chapter 26**

"There it is" Tess said and everyone jerked with her announcement, then followed the direction her finger pointed to.

A big red ominous rock formation could be seen in the near distance. There was absolute silence as everyone bounced gently in their seats during the short distance to the rock formation. They all seemed to be holding their breath as the van slowed to a stop. Alex clicked open the automatic door locks and everyone got out. Almost instinctively they all joined hands, as couples, and began to walk toward the rock.

Max and Liz were in the lead and had a firm grip on each others hands. Each could sense the others steadily increasing anxiety, and were sending reassuring feelings through their connection. Max glanced at Liz as they got halfway up, and she looked back at him at the same moment.

"Whatever we find out in there Liz…I love you. I've loved you since the first moment I saw you" he said as he pulled her toward him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a kiss on top of her head. Liz smiled back up at him and hugged him back with both arms around his waist.

"I love you too Max." she replied as she kissed him quick and firmly on the lips.

Isabel was beginning to shake and Alex let go of her hand, wrapping a tentative arm around her waist instead. He was rewarded with a warm smile and Isabel leaning into his embrace.

"Whatever happens Iz, I know it will be ok" he told her trying to be brave for her sake.

"Thank you Alex…" she replied.

"For what?" he asked as he pulled back slightly so he could look her in the eyes.

"For being so strong for me. I know this isn't easy for you…being here…thank you for being here for me." She replied her eyes misting over slightly.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else Iz. Wherever you are is where I want to be" he replied.

"You are important to me too Alex…I think I…" she was then interrupted by the sound of Liz's voice.

"Here it is I think…" Liz states while running her hands over the rock.

"Here Liz, let me do that…" Max replied but before he could get his hands on the rock, Liz had ran her hands over a divot in the rock and a handprint began to glow.

"How did you.." Max began.

"I don't…I don't know…I just knew…" Liz replied.

"Did I just see what I think I did?" Tess asked.

"I think you did sis." Michael replied for Liz.

"Ok this is getting really weird" Kyle interjected.

"You aren't kidding" Maria stated while walking up to the rock and waving her hand over the print. It responded by flickering in a ripple pattern.

"Maria what are you doing?" Michael asked worried she might trigger something.

"I don't know, I just wanted to see what it would do if I waved my hand over it!" she replied.

Tess then walked over to the print and waved her hand over it. It responded by vanishing from sight. "What does that mean? Why would it respond to Liz and Maria, but not to me?" she asked with confusion painted on her face.

"I don't know. Let me try" Max replied. He waved his hand over the divot in the rock and nothing happened.

"I'm sensing a connection here you guys" Alex stated while he waved his hands over the same spot. He was rewarded with the glowing handprint flaring back to life.

"I think I get you Whitman" Kyle replied waving his hand over the handprint, and it rippled again.

"This thing only works for humans?" Isabel stated completely shocked.

Before they discussed it any further, Liz biting her bottom lip, placed her hand directly on the handprint and a door appeared from the rock sliding in smoothly and then sliding to the side.

"Liz?" Max choked out.

"I just knew…" she replied to his unspoken question.

He took a deep breath, took her hand and gave it a squeeze, then after an exchanged look of resignation, they both walked into the darkness together.

"What just happened here?" Michael said to no one in particular.

"Come on Spaceboy. I think it's time to face our destiny." Maria replied and pulled him along with her into the shadows. He didn't have time to think about her choice of words as he was pulled along.

They were followed closely by Isabel, Alex, Kyle, and Tess.

After their eyes adjusted to the change in light, they heard the door shut behind them and a blue/green glow lit the room up. In front of them were four oval shaped cavities that seemed to have been built into the wall.

"Wow" Max said looking astounded.

"I know what those are…" Isabel said while walking towards the cavities. "Max this is where we were born."

Seeing them sparked a memory "I remember…" he replied while the memory replayed in his head "I remember we didn't know where we were. A woman helped me out of my pod…"

"That was Mayverna" Isabel replied. "She helped me out also, while Lyatso helped Tess and Michael"

"Oh my god…I remember too" Tess replied "I remember he helped us out and helped us learn to balance on our feet, which we learned surprisingly fast. Then they both led us quickly out into the desert…because something wasn't right…"

"There were sounds of gunshots in the air…" Michael broke in, also seeing memories in his head. "They pulled us by our hands and hid us in different areas. They then went out to face the threat."

"We were all so scared… I remember they had no means of defending themselves besides their basic powers. In the rush to get us away, they had left everything here in the chamber…" Isabel said pointing to the aged weapons, or what appeared to be weapons, in the corner. The shined a menacing black color.

"They were valiant." Max replied. "Without fear they led them, Earth's military, with small distractions to the other side of the desert…and we waited."

"We waited for hours…but they never came back." Isabel said sadly.

"I guess those were the aliens captured in the '47 crash…" Alex replied just as sadly.

"They gave their lives so that we could live…" Tess said with shining eyes, unshed tears floating at the surface.

Kyle reached over and pulled her into a hug while Michael was inspecting the pod cavities. All of a sudden Michael realized he could feel a cool air coming from the other side.

"Max, there is something on the other side of this wall!" he exclaimed as he began to crawl through one of the lower cavities.

"Michael! Wait! We don't know what could be on the other side!" Maria exclaimed, frantic that Michael would be hurt and grabbed one of his ankles.

"Michael wait for us.." Max said but was interrupted by Michael yelling at Maria.

"Maria let go of my foot!"

"No Michael…wait!" she replied just as he pulled free of her.

As Michael tumbled into the new chamber, his presence seemed to activate the lights and a luminescent light filled the area.

"Guys, you have to see this…" he said in awe.

After everyone finished crawling through the opening they were speechless as they took in the scene around them.

They were in a chamber made of the same blue glass material they had seen in the dream shared by Tess and Michael. In the middle of the chamber was a tall shaft of light that shimmered and seemed to radiate power.

The power made the girls hair stand on end, like static electricity, and they all simultaneously reached up to smooth their hair. As the eight of them stared down at something that caught their eye on the floor they were faced with something that made allof their hair stand on end.

On the floor was a huge symbol with four circles extending from it, each on the end of a stem. Two circles were joined by a V shape and the V shapes were joined in the middle. It almost looked like a K with circles on the ends except it was symmetrical. Isabel immediately recognized it. It was the symbol for unity.

Painted next to each circle were two faces, eight faces total….they were the faces of those staring down at it…


	27. Chapter 27

_Here is the newest chapter, hot of the presses! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!_

****

**_Special Note:_**

**_I'm getting close to wrapping up this story, and would appreciate your f/b now more than ever. Once I wrap it up, I haven't decided if there will be a second installment as well. Let me know all of your thoughts!_**

Andrea

**Chapter 27**

Tess looked down at her painted face then looked up at Kyle in complete shock. Why was Kyle's face painted next to hers?

Kyle looked down at his own face and felt sweat begin to bead on his forehead. Had Tess come in here and painted that? If she hadn't who had? What the heck was going on…he thought as he looked back down at Tess.

"I knew it…I knew it couldn't be chance…" Liz said amazed as she stared down at her face painted next to Max's. "I felt it the moment my touch made that handprint glow…"

"What couldn't be chance?" Max was beyond confused. He didn't know what he had been expecting exactly. A ship, a portal home, a map of some sort…anything but this… He was completely floored. He looked back at Liz and saw realization in her eyes. Could she be right? Could his being on Earth mean more than they all thought all along? When he looked back in her eyes he felt the depths of her love for him…fathomless depths…the love he reflected to her…

After crawling through the wall, Alex helped Isabel to stand. He still had a firm grip on her hand when the symbol on the floor had come into focus. Isabel had instantly recognized the symbol for unity, but was exceedingly confused as to why their faces were painted on the floor. She didn't realize her grip had tightened on Alex's hand until he squeezed her hand back. His face had turned as white as snow, and his eyes were round as saucers; though his grip never weakened.

"That we are all connected somehow…on a deeper level…" Maria replied for Liz to Max's question.

Maria, whom you would typically expect to be freaking out about now, was strangely calm. She was regarding the symbol with a furrowed brow, as if by staring at it long enough, the answer would come to her.

Michael was looking from Maria to the symbol and back again. Where was his wacky girlfriend that he had come to know? At that moment she looked back at him and a slow smile spread across her features. The smile was somehow even more disturbing; but when he looked in her eyes he saw peace, trust, and happiness. How could she be happy about this? She didn't even know what it meant?

As if in answer to his question she said "That we are meant for each other…"

A change in the brightness of the room, alerted the eight of them that something was happening. As their eyes were drawn once again to the tall shaft of light, they felt themselves drawn, not of their own accord, to the symbol. Their feet seemed to float just above the ground and they were placed next to their faces at the four corners of the symbol. Their hands were joined with their partner, and four blue circles of light encircled the couples.

Like a strong wind the girls clothes were removed, and a yellow haze surrounded their bodies, making subtle curves visible, but nothing more. Before the switch from clothes to haze, the boys were astounded to have gotten a glimpse of their women's naked beauty. Their eyes were only for their partner though, and they didn't catch a glimpse of anyone else. Before they had any time to react to that wondrous sight other than a slight tightening in their groin, their own clothing was removed in another rush of wind and they were in turn surrounded in a yellow haze. The girls in turn, felt their mouth go dry from the sight of the boy's brief nakedness before the haze surrounded them too, and they let out a small gasp of awe.

Before another blink of an eye, they found they were dressed again. The girls had on thin floor length white dresses. The Dresses were gathered just below their breasts with a simple satin like ribbon and clung to them in all the right places. They were sleeveless with the material gathered above their shoulders with the satin ribbon. The ribbon wove down their arms and was tied in a simple bow at the base of their wrists. Their hair was then caught up, as if by unseen hands and arranged in different ways upon their heads. More of the satin ribbon was woven through, as were tiny white flowers that they didn't recognize.

The boys had on a white tunic like shirt that extended down to just below their knees. It was gathered at their waist with a white cord that was knotted in the front. All of their feet were bare.

Heavy breathing could be heard all around for obvious reasons. Besides the initial shock of seeing their partner naked, there was also the fear of being controlled. Who was behind this? Would they gain back the ability to move? They each looked back into their partners eyes for support when they heard a strong voice.

"Welcome Royalty" they heard a voice say from the glowing stream of light in the middle of the room.

I know you must be confused, but fear not. You have been chosen; all of you, for such a time as this. I come to you on behalf of the creators. The creators of this Milky Way Galaxy, The whirlwind Galaxy, and many other worlds.

The balance must be restored that was severed long ago. Only then can peace reign in the place of chaos.

You are here by the means that was necessary to bring you to this point. Prophecy on Antar sped the way for the Antarians, and destiny or fate for the Humans. Let me start at the beginning.

Humans were always meant to mingle with the race of Antar. Their deep capacity for emotions brought a balance to the fierce militant drive of the Antarians. Long ago, the people of earth were once an ally of Antar. Both civilizations thrived and enjoyed wealth, happiness, and peace. Places like this one, gateways between worlds, can be found on Earth and on Antar, but have been hidden or forgotten. Deep imbedded instinctive knowledge of how the key, or rock handprint would work is in the humans, who are all direct descendents of Earth Royalty from long ago. Earth royalty was given dominion over the gateways on their world, as the Antarians have control over the gateways on theirs. After 1,000 years of peace, Antar in her arrogance broke alliance with Earth, choosing to instead deal only with their own galaxy, and to rule supreme there. Those who knew of the gateways eventually died, and that knowledge was buried with them. The severing of that alliance eventually brought wars that could not be won on earth, and peace that could not be found on Antar. Earth's Military has always been striving to be what Antar's always was. Without Antarian strategic training and capacity for effective military tactics, they have fallen short; as with Antar, who struggles with the capacity to love their fellow man and woman unconditionally and without prejudice. Without clear direction even earth has struggled with prejudice to some degree. Both worlds have survived up until now, but make no mistake. If things stay as they are, both will continue to systematically destroy themselves…until there is nothing left. We have heard the cries of both races and you have been chosen to provide the groundwork for the solution.

Now you know the truth…and can begin to understand that your unions have been foretold for centuries. The balance has cried out to us to be restored. The prophecies have been long ignored, but fate has brought you here to this moment. "The strength of four combined will forever bind them. Alliance will bring peace, mixed blood shall heal what pure blood destroys. Praise be to the God of Creation." The words of this long forgotten prophecy shall finally be fully realized today. Some on Antar have long speculated, Wise One's like Bethsheta who knew of the birth of Ava but not of Rath. They grasped partial meaning, but none have seen the truth. Look down to where you are standing. You are the key. Each melded couple creates four individual units that can be combined to form the most powerful unit seen since the beginning of time. Your unions will make Antar an ally of Earth again, and in this way will lead the way to ultimate peace for both planets. The mixed blood children of the melded couples will be the most powerful and influential leaders in their time. Instinctively, you all new you would be at a place in your life like this. You chose your paths when you chose your mates. You have been dressed and prepared in the traditional melding way; the way of leaders of planets. In this way, your meld would also make you best suited to hold court over your planets. Love represented by your joined hands, physical compatibility represented by your brief view of your partner naked, and trust represented by being here at the same time with each other. Your white clothing represents the purity of your heart. With all of these criteria met, your meld will be the strongest in centuries; your reign the most just. The last human to have access to this portal, was given a vision by the creators; as he would be the last living person to have access to this room for many centuries. He knew drawing it here would not raise any questions, and drew the symbol you are now standing on in one human day. The door to this chamber remained shut until the arrival of Mayverna and Lyatso on this planet. Mayverna was very special as she was not only from the planet Kentwaisis, but she was the last living person on Antar that had human blood flowing through her veins. That is why she was able to get in and out of this chamber. She could not use the portal to travel though, because that knowledge had been lost. Mayverna & Lyatso escaped their captors to help release you from your pods. It is unfortunate that they gave their lives away so that you would live, but very courageous. They could not begin to understand the bigger capacity of what their decision held...The means to heal two worlds."

Everyone looked at the person standing in the circle with them, in a way that they never looked at them before… All confusion was gone. It was like suddenly the scales had fallen away from their eyes and they saw the truth for what it was. With this understanding brought new feelings of inadequacy and fear though…after all they were too young right?

"The strength of four lies in your hands. Are you ready to meld and begin the journey to peace together? I ask you this because we will not force the hand of peace upon your people. We will not force you to do something that you don't feel you are capable of. I tell you now though, that you are, and that the means to obtain it are in your very grasp. The eight of you represent four couples that have the capacity to love your melded partner unconditionally, and never wavering. Your youth has not let your love tarnish or fade. Embrace your youth for it is an advantage. You eight now truly understand the meaning of life. It is Love. Only love can heal your worlds now. You must be the example. Choose wisely children."


	28. Chapter 28

_Well you all are awesome if you are reading this right now. I know I left you guys on a cliffhanger last time, but work has been so busy this past month! I had more responsibility heaped on my plate, and my ususal down time to write, has been spent actually working. (heehee) I had some time to finish up this chapter today, so here it finally is! Only one, maaaaybe two chapters left till the end...let me know what you are thinking! I should be able to get some more writing time in so you guys shouldn't have to wait so long for the next chapter!_

_Thank you as always to my faithful feed backers. You guys mean the world to me. Really. Thank you as well to all the readers...as we near the end of this installment, maybe you guys would like to make your voices known soon! Let me know what you guys are thinking too! It will be up to you guys if I write another series. )_

**-Andrea**

**Chapter 28**

The eight of them were set down gently on the ground, and regained control of their bodies as their feet touched the floor. The blue circles still surrounded their feet, but they could move freely. A million different thoughts and feelings were flying through everyone's minds and bodies, but despite all the confusion, the one thing prominent was that of love for the person in front of them.

**_(Author's Note: All Couple conversations are happening simultaneously)_**

"Liz" Max began while squeezing her hands tight and caressing them with his thumbs "How do you feel about this?"

He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear as he continued "I know it's a lot to take in…I can just barely wrap my mind around what the…..creators…just told us…"

Liz took a deep breath, and pulled Max closer to her, grasping the back of his arms just above his elbows. He in turn took hold of the back of her arms. "Max…I don't know what the future holds for us…but since the day you healed me I have always thought of my future being US; not my future or your future. Our future…" She replied with her love for him speaking volumes through her shining eyes.

"You took the words right out of my mouth…god I love you Liz" he replied as he gathered her in against his chest and running his fingers through her soft hair. Liz pressed her forehead into the curve of his neck and just breathed in his scent. She could breathe him in all day. As Max inhaled Liz's familiar Vanilla/Strawberry Shampoo scent he knew he would love her for the rest of his life. After their embrace, they pulled back and looked into each others eyes.

"Liz…will you meld with me?" He asked her quietly.

All thoughts of inadequacy and fear left her as she looked into his eyes. Through their connection she could feel his strength giving her strength and the unending depths of his love for her. She knew her answer, she felt like she'd known it her whole life.

"My answer is yes…it's always been yes." She replied with a tear running down one cheek. Max gently wiped away her tear with his thumb, after which he cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips to hers in a lingering gentle kiss.

Michael was staring hard at Maria. He still couldn't believe what was happening. All this time he thought being an alien was his greatest fear…now…it looked like they weren't that different after all. Every one of his fears of letting himself get to close to Maria because they were so different melted away. She never ceased to amaze him. Even now when faced with literally the fate of two worlds being placed on their shoulders, she had a graceful smile upon her lips and a confident glint in her eyes. He took a breath to speak, and was even more surprised when she spoke first.

"Michael I know my answer. Even though it's only been a short time since we actually admitted our feelings for each other…" he cut her off.

"Maria are you sure? I know we are kind of between a rock and a hard place with this whole "save the world" on our shoulders, but…"

"Are you saying you don't want to meld with me?" she asked with her eyes flashing, feeling extreme shock and placing one hand on her hip.

Feeling the spell broken, and his regular wacky girlfriend finally about to make an appearance, he said quickly "No! No, Maria that's now what I'm saying at all." He replied while Maria crossed her arms over her chest and leaned away from him, balancing her weight on the foot that was behind her.

"Then what are you saying spaceboy?" she replied while tossing her hair behind her shoulder with a flick of her head.

"I just don't want you to feel like you are doing this because you have to do it." He replied with exasperation in his voice. He then said in a more quiet tone "I want you to meld with me because you want to." He said while grasping her hands from her crossed arms and pulling her close to him.

"Did you just tell me you want to meld with me?" She replied while looking deeply into his eyes.

"Yes, if you'll do me that great honor….Maria…" he replied while gently touching her cheek with one of his hands, the other still grasping her hand.

"I've loved you since the first moment I saw you. Until right now, I never thought I'd admit that to you." He put on hand on her neck and pulled her face closer to his, so that their noses touched and she could feel his breath with his next words. "Will you?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" she replied while the biggest smile she had ever smiled graced her face and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She pulled him into a tight embrace, and he turned his face to meet hers and kissed her thoroughly.

Kyle was in a state of shock. First he sees Tess' face painted on the ground next to his, which completely wigs him out. Then the "creators" tell him they were destined to be together, and need to meld to save their planets from ultimate destruction?? This seemed to him like something out of a movie. "Get a grip Kyle" he thinks to himself. "She is staring at you like her very life depends on it." He continued to think while he felt her grasp tighten on his hands.

"What a second, what am I worrying about?" he thinks "I love this woman, and now I've just been told that it's ok that I do! God she is so beautiful. I totally don't deserve her…"

Tess took Kyle's silence and deer in the headlights look to mean he didn't want to meld with her, but was trying to talk himself into it. She felt her heart begin to hurt at the thought that he didn't love her. She didn't know if she could handle that; not when she had just so recently admitted to herself that she loved him; truly loved him. Just as Tess felt her chest begin to constrict with trepidation, Kyle opened his mouth.

Kyle took a deep breath and began to speak "Tess, I know I haven't really told you how I feel…" he began, but was interrupted by Tess.

"Kyle if you don't want to do this I understand" she blurted out in her typical self preservation tone. She hadn't been in foster homes all her life and not developed some defense mechanisms.

She looked away from his eyes as she felt hot tears begin to slide down her cheeks despite her trying to clamp down on her feelings. "Stop crying!" she yelled to herself in her head, and quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks with two deft movements.

Kyle could tell she was getting emotional fast, and by her stiff posture, he could guess what she was thinking. That he didn't want this. That he didn't want her. Tess was doing her best to maintain her composure but could not stop herself from beginning to shake. Kyle took her by her trembling shoulders and pulled her towards him. He took his right hand and used it to tip up her head so he could look into her eyes.

"It's just the opposite Tess. If you would have let me finish I was going to say that even though I haven't told you how I feel, I should have done it a long time ago. Ever since my dad brought you to our front door I have been hopelessly in love with you."

Tess was openly crying now and was feeling such a rush of love in her soul, like she had never experienced before. Kyle was tenderly wiping the tears from her cheeks. All of her life was spent hiding her emotions from others and making herself hard so she wouldn't be that hurt when she was moved to her next foster home. Now she could feel her dams breaking loose. She stole a quick glance at her brother, and could tell his walls were breaking open as well.

Michael, sensing her emotions, sent her a quick mental thought -Tess, Tell him the truth!- She quickly shut her connection off after that and turned back to Kyle.

"Kyle, this isn't easy for me to say. I…I have been in love with you since that first day also. Even though I thought we were so different, and I tried to deny my feelings, at least to myself…I never stopped feeling that way about you."

Kyle had envisioned his proposal since he was a child. He would never admit it to the guys in the locker room, but he was a closet romantic. With that in mind, he got down on one knee and Tess' breath caught in her throat.

"Tess Harding, will you meld with me and be my wife?"

Tess burst into tears of happiness and sunk down to the ground with Kyle, throwing her arms around his neck.

"yes, Yes, YES!" she replied while squeezing him as tight as she could.

"Whugh, Woa, Tussss, I cenunt breet…." He struggled to get out.

Realizing she had his neck in a strangle hold, she released her arms and Kyle gratefully sucked oxygen back into his lungs.

"I'm sorry Kyle" she said with a giggle, as she waved a hand in front of her face and removed her tears. "I didn't realize I was choking you…" she said while Kyle rubbed his free hand around his neck in mock pain.

"Come here, and I'll return the favor" he growled as he pulled her in his lap and kissed her till her breath left her and her head began to swim. She could care less…her love was kissing her like there was not tomorrow. As far as she was concerned, she could breath later…

Alex couldn't believe what he had just heard. His beautiful Angel Isabel was actually destined to be his! She was a princess in another world, and the creators intended her for him! He was so excited he didn't even notice he wasn't breathing, and let out the breath he had been holding in with a rush.

Isabel had been staring at their joined hands since her feet had felt the cool ground beneath her. She heard Alex let out a breath he had apparently been holding in, and looked up to meet his eyes. His silence was unnerving her, but she did see what she thought was happiness in his eyes. Might he possibly be ok with this?

"Alex, I don't know what to say…that was….wow…"

"Yeah, it was" he replied with a big goofy grin appearing on his face.

"I think you know how I feel about this Iz. I've already told you, where you are is where I want to be. I meant that in the long term sense. I want you to be in my life always."

Isabel couldn't believe he wanted her after all that she had done in her past.

"You are so important to me Alex…I love you …but how can you even want me after what I did in my past? I might seriously screw up your life with my bad judgment…" she replied with tears making her eyes glisten.

Alex's face changed from his big grin to one of astonishment. "Iz, how could you even think that? You were a different person then….with different obligations, and brought-up in a different society! How could think I would hold that against you. I….wait…did you just say you loved me?" he asked in shock.

With one tear trailing down her cheek she replied "Yes Alex. I did. I do. I have for a long time, but just couldn't admit it to myself for some reason. I want you in my life always…I…" she was silenced by Alex putting a finger to her lips.

"Come here" he said feeling a sense of confidence like never before, as he put his arms around her waist and brought her face close to his.

"Isabel Evans…I love you….you love me…that's all I need to know…ever." He said in a low voice for her ears only. She could smell the mint gum on his breath that she knew so well. She loved the way he always had fresh breath. "Focus Isabel!" she shouted to herself internally. "This is the moment you have been waiting your whole life for!!"

"Iz…be mine forever…meld with me?" he asked with sincerity and love filling his eyes.

"My answer is yes" she replied just as softly, for his ears only. "Yes!" she said a little louder, and pulled his face the inch more closer to her it needed to be to join her lips with his. The kiss deepened as their arms closed in around each other.

"It is done." Came a voice from the tall shaft of gleaming light.

Startled, everyone broke the kiss they were currently enjoying and turned to face the light.

Everyone turned to look at Max in confusion, and understanding that they were looking to him to speak on their behalf he asked "What do you mean it's done? What's done?"

"The melding union is now complete." The voice replied.

"What do you mean?" Isabel broke out. As happy as melding with Alex made her, she couldn't help but remember that her meld with Kivar had been much different. "I mean, the melding ceremony has not been performed yet." She said while looking at Alex who seemed to relax after hearing her explanation.

"You have melded in the traditional way. This includes the tradition of choosing your own melding promise words and then sealing your promise with the melding kiss. Thus with the criteria being met, you are now melded units. There remains only one final step to make your melding final. Humans, please join your left hand to your Antarian Partner's right hand. With your right hand, as Antarians, you promise to bring the necessary strength to the relationship that as Antarians you possess. With your left hand, as Humans, you promise to bring the full capacity of love and emotion to your relationship that as Humans you posess."

Everyone exchanged looks with their partner and joined the appropriate hand, after which the blue light that surrounded their feet shot up and encircled their joined hands, running up their arms in a spiral motion. A brief sensation of heat followed by the hair on their arms standing on end and it was done. In amazement they each brought their hand up to their face and stared at the metallic golden mole, shaped like a half moon at the base of their pinkies.

"The golden mark is to remind you of who you are; gold for royalty and half of a whole to never forget that you are not a complete unit without your partner or as you would call it here, your husband or wife."

Smiles were plastered on everyone's faces as they hugged and kissed their mates, some with tears and all with overwhelming love.

"In the tradition of melding completion, you will have 24 earth weeks to be in solitude with each other on the planet Neweden. Neweden is a neutral planet that can only be accessed by royal leaders joined from two worlds. You will find other races there from many other galaxies. Besides deepening your relationship with your melded partners…"

Heated glances were shared between the couples…

"…you will also have a chance to talk with dignitaries from other worlds, sharing in their knowledge of leading their worlds, and expanding your knowledge of political etiquette. This paradise has been lost on both of your races for centuries with the cessation of mixed marriages from both planets. You will have much to learn."

"Won't anyone miss us if we are gone for six months?" Liz asked in confusion.

"You will not be missed. Time travels extremely slow on Neweden. You will be gone the equivalent of one earth day. Please make preparations for your departure and be back at this location by noon tomorrow."

"Will we need to bring anything with us?" Isabel asked.

"All will be provided there. You only need to make sure your partner is with you. Welcome to your rightful royal status. Until tomorrow."

The glowing shaft of light lessened in intensity, as they all felt they were left alone again.


	29. Chapter 29

**Authors Note:** _Well, there is only one more chapter till the end. ) This chapter is a little short, but the next one will be substantial. You guys will get a good glimpse of Neweden and a good glimpse into some good old fashioned consummation wink wink in the next and final chapter. I haven't decided if I will write a sequel yet, but I may if enough people want one! I'll have a poll set up at RF after the final chapter. Happy Reading!_

**_-Andrea_**

**Chapter 29**

"Ummm.. yeah…did that just happen??" Kyle asked in amazement. "Or am I dreaming?"

"Yes, it happened." Tess replied while putting one of her hands on his shoulder. "Can you believe it…" Tess asked with a blush on her cheeks "husband?"…

"Come here you!" he replied while squeezing her in a hug and then picking her feet off the floor and swinging her around.

"Wooo hooo I'm married!!!" Maria yelled while jumping up against Michael's chest. He quickly scooped her up and kissed her neck while Maria giggled.

Liz had tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face. Max tenderly wiped her tears away as he ran his hands through her hair and pulled her towards him in a bear hug.

Alex could feel his cheeks begin to burn as he had never smiled this much in his whole life. He didn't mind. It was a good burn. He was burning all over his body it would seem… Isabel felt awkward, now that she was apparently a married woman and suddenly she began to feel Alex's eyes on her like she had never felt them before. She shivered involuntarily when he squeezed her hand as she delicately fingered her green topaz hanging from her necklace.

It seemed everyone in the room seemed to be sharing the same heated emotions. No, it was beyond heat. They was fire in everyone's eyes.

Max, feeling it was his duty to break the ice, or heat, for them all, and with his eyes glued to Liz's began "Well everyone, you know we have to be back by noon tomorrow. I know this is going to be hard…" to which he heard a snicker from Maria, "…I mean difficult to go home and pretend like nothing has happened today." He finished while Liz stuck her tongue out at Maria.

"Whatever Max." Michael exclaimed "I'm taking Maria home with me!"

"Wait, wait, waaaait spaceboy…" Maria interjected.  
"Don't tell me you don't want to be with me on our wedding night??" Michael stated in disbelief.

"Michael, did you forget we are going to be gone for like six months on Neweden?"

"No." he replied while kicking a rock on the ground.

"I just want to see my mom before we leave. You know, have a little girl time. She won't have a single daughter anymore when we get back."

"She doesn't have a single daughter now you know." Michael replied.

"Come on spaceboy…" she said while trailing her fingers lightly down his arm. "It's only for one night…we'll have six months of nights all to ourselves…" she finished, with her words dripping with seduction.

"Ok. But for the record, I think this sux." He replied with a smirk on his face. Maria just smiled and punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" what was that for?

"Old habits die hard I guess…" she replied before she jumped in his arms again, wrapping her legs around his waist, and kissing him full on the lips.

"Ooook, well, ahem, I agree with Maria. I want some alone time with mom tonight…" Isabel said while Alex winked at her.

"I can wait princess, don't you worry about that." He replied as he winked again. Isabel blushed in response.

"Well Tess lives with me soooo." Kyle stated to no one in particular while he raised his eyebrows up and down and looked at Tess suggestively.

"Don't get any ideas, oh husband of mine. If everyone else has to wait, so do we. Besides, you will have to fill your dad in on the past few days events, and I will have to get my beauty rest for tomorrow." She replied while flipping her hair over her shoulders.

Kyle responded with a harrumph, and crossed his arms over his chest. Tess giggled as she ran her hands over her hips just a tad suggestive of things to come.

Kyle harrumphed again, which made everyone laugh.

"Max, um, could we take a drive before you take me home?" Liz asked.

"You better not be going out to the desert missy!" Maria exclaimed.

"God Maria, can't we just go for a drive?" Liz asked with a red flush on her neck and face.

"Hey, if Maxwell gets a ride (emphasis on the word ride) than I get one too." Michael said sarcastically.

"Michael!" Maria yelled while smacking him on the arm.

"What??" he replied in an innocent voice.

"Everyone, save your dramatics for later…I've gotta get my lady home! The sooner tonight is over, the sooner tomorrow arrives, and the sooner…well you know….sooner…soon." he exclaimed while looking uncomfortably giddy. Isabel just laughed at her quirky husband, and slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him along with her back to the van. He threw a glance over his shoulder to everyone else, which was probably the dopiest smile he had ever smiled. Liz, Tess and Maria exchanged a knowing look, while the guys just rolled their eyes.

"Wait…" Kyle began, and everyone stopped. "…how are we going to explain our clothes?"

"What, you weren't at the school play practice today?" Tess replied.

"Gooood One!" he replied as he slung an arm across her shoulders, and they all turned to leave the cave.

"Although I think Jim could probably be told the truth…" she replied with an excited giggle.

On the drive back, Isabel pulled the notepad she kept in her purse out, and waved her hand over three of the papers.

"Seeing as tomorrow is Monday… here we go…one for you…" she handed a paper to Liz "…one for you…" she handed a paper to Alex "… and one for you…" she handed another to Maria.

They looked at the papers, then back at Isabel in disbelief.

"How do you know my mothers signature?" Maria asked.

"Photographic memory…I used to work in the registrar office." She replied with a smile.

"Don't we get one?" Kyle whined.

"I think Jim would be up to writing us a note." Tess replied while jabbing him lightly in the ribs.

"Hey! Well then you tell him we got married!" He said while Tess rolled her eyes.

"I can write my own note." Michael said with a smile.

"I'm sure you'll take care of our note, right Isabel?" Max asked.

Alex just folded his note and tucked it into his pocket while giving Isabel a shy smile. If he thought anymore about what they would be doing tomorrow night he would not be able to get them all home safely.


	30. Chapter 30

**Hello ALL!!**

_Ok, ok. I **know** I said this last chapter would wrap everything up, but I just couldn't do it! I didn't want to diminish any of what I'm planning on happening next, and so I will have at least one to two more chapters after this one. I hope you enjoy yourselves. :D Thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement. Without it, I wouldn't have as much motivation to write. :D Enjoy!_

-Andrea

**Chapter 30**

A gently breeze was stirring the sand around everyone's feet as they walked the short distance from the van to the cave entrance. Isabel tucked her hair behind her ears as the wind was making her hair block her view. Alex was close by with his hand pressed tenderly against the small of her back, guiding her. They shared a timid smile as they looked into each others eyes and thought about what was coming…later. They were the first to reach the cave, and Alex took a breath before waving his hand on the knot in the rock he knew would cause the wall to slide away. The shimmering handprint sprang to life and he pressed his hand decisively onto it.

As they entered the cave, the group was more silent than usual, not really knowing what to say as no one knew what to expect when the reached the granolith. At least that's what Isabel had called it. It resembled a transportation device she recognized from Antar, and they called those shafts of light 'granoliths'.

After they crawled through the pod opening to reach the granolith room, the girls felt their hair begin to lift with the static electricity. As before, they began to smooth it, but this time Liz had remembered something to help them. She reached into her pocket and produced four hair bands which she handed to the girls, who promptly put their back with satisfied sighs.

"So what are we supposed to do now Max?" Michael asked as he squeezed Maria to his side.

-"Gosh brother, can't you wait just a little longer?"- Tess asked him accusingly in his head.

-"Yeah, like you can wait to feel Kyle's…"- he replied before Tess snapped the connection off abruptly, her face turning beet red.

"What's the matter Tess? Are you…is it to hot in here?" Kyle asked in confusion, to which Michael snickered and Tess looked even more uncomfortable, shifting her gaze away from Kyle's.

"Yeah, I think she is 'hot' Valenti…but only you can help her with…" he was swiftly elbowed in the ribs by Maria, cutting of his next few words.

"Ungh, what??! She started it!" he replied while rubbing the now tender spot on his rib cage.

All eyes went back to Tess, when they realized Michael meant she had spoken to him through their connection and began to wonder just what was said. This served to make her blush even more.

Everyone laughed at her reaction, but their laughter died down as they felt the shaft of light begin to gain strength.

--"Welcome Back Royalty. Officials on Neweden have been made aware of your arrival today. They have also been briefed on your lack of knowledge of political proceedings and culture. Each couple will be assigned a transition Litka upon arrival. Litka is literally translated to mean advisor. Litka's are highly trained liaison's that specialize on helping cultures blend with one another. Typically they'd be helping you to relate to each other, and to bridge the cultural gap. This time they will be helping you to understand the culture of Antar, of what it once meant to be Antarian, and of what the unions between your two worlds were meant to be. Litka's are very old, even though they will appear to be fairly young. They have been around since the beginning, and are very wise. Trust them implicitly, for they will play an integral part in your growth and development for the next six months. Of course you will want to give substantial time to your melded partner as well. Deepen your relationships and learn to lean on each other equally, for both of you bring a strength to your melded partner that will be pivotal in your children's future."--

At hearing the world "children", everyone shifted uncomfortably looking at their husband or wife with concern in their eyes. With silent acceptance, feeling a maturity beyond their years, their concerned looks turned into reassuring their partner. They felt they could handle anything together. Strong feelings of love and trust radiated off of all of them.

"This…this is why you were chosen. No matter what the obstacle, you eight have the capacity to look beyond the temporal and see clearly the picture in its entirety. With that in mind, it is now time to show you how to operate this portal. To your left you will see four marks in the rock wall. They look like triangles fitted snugly side by side. Two are is facing up and two down, both overlapped with each other."

Liz, who was nearest, ran her hand over the symbols that she hadn't even noticed before and they began to glow. Underneath the symbols a flat five inch by five inch section of wall protruded out and she could see something inside.

"Please grasp the crystal that has presented itself from within the wall."

Liz took a hold of it and brought it our in front of her, for everyone to see. It was green, translucent, and had a slick feel to it. It was about four inches long with pointed ends as well.

"Typically, all one would need to do to travel, is to place the crystal in the space provided for it on top of the row of triangles and then their body would be drawn into the light, based on their need to travel, and their destination would be ascertained by their thoughts. In order for your trip to be programmed for Neweden though, you must insert the Crystal into the slot while your hand is in the hand of your partner. After this is done, and while your hands are still joined, you will need to reach both of your free hands up to the triangles on the ends and touch them at the same time. This will transport you into the light, but you won't leave until you think "Neweden" in your mind. You can travel as couples separately, or you can wait for everyone else to be placed into the light together, to think "Neweden" and travel. After the first couple is in, the next ones will join hands and touch the triangles in the same way as everyone else. After the travel has been completed, the crystal will slide further into the wall and be placed back in it's place of origin. When 23 weeks are up, the Litka's will make preparations for your arrival back on Earth. The Litka's control the gateways on Neweden and you will only be able to leave the planet with their cooperation. Don't worry, you will have it. I leave you with this final word of encouragement. Trust your partner, trust your Litka, and trust yourself. You have within yourselves the means to accomplish all that you will need to and more. Never let love falter and you will prosper in all that you do."

Liz was holding the crystal in her hands, and was kind of shell shocked after hearing all of the creator's final words. Softly she felt Max's fingers lace with her own on her free hand. He tipped her head up so he could look in her eyes and kissed her. His warm lips on her own made warmth permeate through her body and when she opened her eyes again she felt it. She was ready.

"Well, I guess this is it. Do you want us to go first, or do you want to go all together?" Max said as he internally hoped they would want to travel together. He might be their famed leader, but he couldn't help feeling nervous about the unknown just a little.

"Together sounds good to me." Maria replied.

Tess followed suit "Yeah, we started this together, and we need to continue to do things as a unit, don't you think?" she asked to no one in particular. Nods of affirmation that everyone else agreed were seen.

"Ok then." Max replied. After exchanging a look that he hoped conveyed strength to Liz, he gave everyone else a final glance before walking over to the wall.

Each person joined hands with their partner and followed behind Liz and Max. Their excitement was fighting with their anxiety making their knuckles white as they gripped the hand they were holding tighter.

With a fluid motion, that felt like a stick penetrating wet, muddy sand, the crystal slid into the wall. Liz looked at Max who squeezed her hand as their hands reached up and touched the outer triangles at the same time. They were instantly transported into the upper portion of the shaft of light, floating with their hands still joined.

Max's arms instantly went protectively around Liz and he squeezed her as his heart began to race. He didn't know what it would feel like to travel and was feeling very uneasy …but he wanted to be strong for Liz and the others, and was attempting not to let it show.

Michael and Maria were right behind Liz and Max. They repeated the process and were also caught up into the shaft of light. Once in the light, Liz grasped Maria's hand with her free hand as did Michael and Max. Next came Tess and Kyle, who also followed suit and joined in the circle.

Lastly, Isabel and Alex joined the circle. Isabel wasn't afraid of traveling in the light at all. She remembered what it felt like on Antar to travel there, and if this was the same, she knew it would be almost instantaneous. She squeezed Alex's hand as they reached up to touch the triangles. When they reached the light, they completed the circle and held onto each hand in their own tightly.

Isabel, sensing everyone's worried anxiety, said "Don't worry guys. Traveling in the granolith's at home was not a scary thing at all. It's kind of is a little breathtaking, and I mean that in the literal sense. You will feel like you can't breath for a second, but the feeling is fleeting. So, are you ready?" she asked as she looked everyone around her in the eye.

"Let's do it" Maria said.

"No time like the present" Kyle said.

"Yee ha" Maria said sarcastically, to which everyone let out the breath they had been holding and laughed a much needed laugh, releasing some of the nervous tension in the group.

"Alright then, everyone, on three; think Neweden." Max stated.

Everyone chanted "One, Two, Three!" and thought NEWEDEN in their heads.

Their breath was instantaneously forced from their lungs just like Isabel said, but instead of an instant transport, the pale light of the cave was transformed around them into the darkness of space. Instead of feeling suffocated with no air in their lungs; they didn't feel the urge to breathe like they normally would. Without the need to breathe, their other senses swiftly grew stronger. The one at the forefront was their sense of sight.

Breathtaking views were surrounding them. It appeared they were traveling through some type of wormhole, which was transparent enough to see through, but still held a shape that could be seen as well. Planets and stars zoomed by, and sometimes at different junctures they would be suspended for a few seconds; and if they had the ability to speak, they would have been speechless at the profound beauty they were witnessing. Vivid colorful planets and awesome star clusters were all around. No looks were exchanged between the eight of them, who were still holding hands, as they were too wrapped up in the sensation of flying and the images that enveloped them. Some were on the verge of tears as their emotions were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer power of the feelings incited by the ambient atmosphere.

Just when they began to wonder how long they would be traveling for, a yellow planet, that looked much like Earth but different with it's golden glow, came into view. The present wormhole they were in was making a beeline for it and apprehensive feelings began to twist in their stomachs as they approached the planet at such a high rate of speed.

As they entered the planet's atmosphere though, their speed decreased significantly, and before they could catch a good glimpse of the view of the landscape from the sky, they found themselves in a lavender domed room. Looking up they could see a pinkish gold sky through the transparent triangular ceiling. It domed up just like a pyramid, to an astounding height. They realized they were back in a white shaft of light and instinctively they mentally willed themselves to the ground below. As their feet touched the cool ground they realized they were barefoot, and their breath came back to them all in a rush. As they breathed in, they all took a breath of the sweetest air they had ever experienced and with it their senses were awakened to a height of remarkable proportion.

They all had huge smiles plastered over their faces as that experience would stay with them for their lifetime. They all turned and hugged each other with cries of glee and happiness; laughing and teary eyed until they heard a voice breach the spell of wonder that encompassed them.

"Welcome…" they heard a pleasant voice say from behind. "…to Neweden."


	31. Chapter 31

**Nikitan89, Trude, Romanticbabysky, Mangoaddict, and Magali, **Let me begin by thanking you all so much for reading! I'm sorry for the long space in between my last chapter and this one, but I was sucked into another story over at RF! "The Fate of Destiny" by DMartinez in the Alien Abyss section, is absolutely wonderful! I was reading it every free moment I had for the past two weeks. -dodging the shoe being thrown at me- I know, I know! I'm sorry for making you wait... This is the first part of one chapter. Let me know what you think!

-Andrea

**Chapter 31a**

Shivering a little, Liz looked at the floor length mirror in front of her. She ran her fingers through her hair, murmuring to herself trying to decide what to do with it, when the top half of the mirror seemed to come to life.

"Do you have a style you desire, or do you wish to see a list of possibilities?" the mirror stated.

Liz jumped when she heard the voice and crossed her arms across her chest. Her and Max's Litka, Cherinee, had briefly explained that some things in their room were automated, but not to worry because they were very user friendly. She had ushered them quickly to their rooms, knowing they would initially want to spend some time alone after having been melded so recently. Cherinee showed them where their clothing was and different types of toiletries in their rooms, before leaving them alone. Liz had blushed profusely when she had showed her the sheer outfit she was currently wearing, but took it from her hands when it was offered to her, while Cherinee smiled a knowing smile.

"Umm…I want to wear it in long curls in layers down my back, with half of it gathered in a twist on top." She said hesitantly.

"Simply think of the style, and I will comply" the voice replied.

Liz closed her eyes and scrunched them for just a moment before she felt unseen hands lifting and twisting her hair at a rapid speed. The fast air movement around her made her think she should keep her eyes closed. Before she knew it, the air calmed and she opened her eyes.

"Is the style satisfactory?" the voice from the mirror asked.

Liz stared at her reflection in amazement. Not only was her hair exactly as she imagined it, but she was now wearing makeup! Her eyes were darkened with a beautiful shade of blue that complimented her skin as well as perfectly matched her outfit. Her cheeks shone with a light pink glisten. Her lips were a deep red color and glossy. She touched a finger to her lips, thinking she might remove the color so it wouldn't' get messy, when she noticed that the color did not leave residue on her finger. "Awesome" she thought to herself as she was glad she'd never have to worry about messy lipstick again. She then noticed that her skin glowed with tiny bits of sparkle from face to feet. She twirled a little in front of the mirror admiring the effect, before she thought to reply.

"Yes, it's perfect. Thank you."

"Your welcome." It replied before seeming to turn off.

"Liz?" she heard Max call from the other room.

"I'll be right there!" she replied while running her hands over the soft material covering her curves. The friction made her nipples stand on end and she sighed as she began to feel a warmth gather below.

Max was going to die when he saw her in this outfit. It was Royal Blue and swished around her ankles. The material fell off of her shoulders exposing them to shine a little when the tiny sparkles caught the light as she moved. The material was tightest around her breasts, and flared from there to her ankles. The shade of blue was slightly darker at the very top, but hid nothing. It was so sheer that you could see right through it, but only if you knew it was transparent. If not you might think your eyes were playing tricks on you and were seeing shadows of the forbidden. Her breath began to come faster as she realized fully, that soon she would be sharing with Max all that he had never seen before. Taking one more look at herself in the mirror, she reached with her hand to the panel on the wall that would slide the door open, and pressed her hand against it.

Max was fidgeting on the bed, trying to decide if he wanted to be under the covers or on top of them…or maybe he should just stand. He adjusted his black robe, made of a heavier material than the clothing Liz was wearing, soft like suede. He stood and decided to fold the covers back in favor of simply standing and waiting for her, when he heard the door to the closet/bath area slide open. He took one look at Liz and felt his mouth drop and go dry at the vision before his eyes.

Kyle and Tess had the room across from Liz and Max. Kyle had muttered a comment about being so close to the other couple and hoping he wouldn't be hearing anything from them as their Litka Gonuva led him and Tess into their rooms. Gonuva heard the comment and smiled, assuring Kyle that the walls were thick and were absolutely soundproof. Tess blushed when she heard him reply and knew that he had heard Kyle's remark. She smacked him on the arm, and he rubbed at the spot feeling the sting. That girl had a heavy hand! Oh she was going to get it, he thought to himself. Later after their Litka had left and Tess found the luxuries in the bath area, she came out to find Kyle kneeling on the bed, facing her. His knees were spread apart a little, his hands joined in front of his waist. He was wearing a Blue robe which was tied loosely, and she could see matching shorts underneath. His sculpted chest peaked out, tantalizing her as she shyly walked over to the bed.

"Tess" Kyle choked out when she ran her hand down the exposed portion of his chest. He had been holding his breath since he saw her emerge from the bath room. She was wearing a light Silver/Grey floor length dress, with braided cord running under her breasts and over her hips, accentuating her curves in a way he had never seen before. The material was not see through, but was thin enough that ever detail of her body was cradled. The dress dipped in a v-neck in the front to just a couple inches above her belly button, but the braided cord went all the way across, underneath her breasts. He could see her nipples were hard, pressing against the fabric, and begging for him to touch them. The material even revealed the tiny raised pores all around her areola and that's when he felt his breath catch in his throat. As she came towards the bed he could see in a mirror across the room the back of the dress was laced up with the same cord, but it was a much thinner strand. Beneath the lace up, was her bare skin, which was like white porcelain and shimmered softly under the lighting of their room. When her soft fingers came in contact with his bare chest he let out the breath he had been holding and could barely say her name. He wasn't sure if he could hold back the tears of joy that this awesome beauty was his for the rest of his life!

Michael and Maria were down the hall from the other two couples. The hallway walls were a soft yellow color and were very cheery. There were rectangular glass like cubes hanging about every few feet or so that had a bright glow and lit the passage. When they got to their door their Litka, Atshaynu, showed them how to press their hand to the plate located about shoulder level next to the door, to gain entry. Once inside they quickly acclimated themselves to their surroundings, Maria running in and out of all their rooms at top speed. Michael had never seen her this excited before. Atshaynu simply smiled, and paused to wait for her to come back.

"Is their anything else we need to know?" Michael asked Atshaynu since Maria seemed to be taking her time coming back.

"Just that you will be alone for a period of two weeks, not having to mingle with anyone else until that time period is over. Any food you would like can be obtained from the Hydra located over there." He pointed to the far corner of the wall where a rectangular space seemed to be carved from the wall, and was coated in a bright silver metallic material. He indicated a button on the right side of the area. "Press that button to turn it on, and tell it what you want. It can make over 100 different cuisine styles. The cuisine lists are available for perusal on the menu list display" he said while pointing to an white, oval section of wall to the right of the Hydra. "Earthling and Antarian are only two of the available cuisines to choose from. You may prefer to order from the Earth List as you will be more familiar with that cuisine, but you will find all of the Antar list, although foreign, to be the kind of food your palate has always dreamed of. Your mate will probably wish to stick to the Earth fare for now." He said as he winked at Michael.

"Your private gardens are though there" he pointed to French doors that seemed to be made entirely of glass where lush foliage could be seen "and once outside you will find a path that will lead you to your private beach front as well. If you wish to talk to any of your unit, you can communicate with them by picking up your orb" he pointed to a blue metallic oval shaped device that fit in the palm of Michael's hand "and trace the whirl symbol with your finger to activate it. Say their name and it will activate their orb, causing it to emit a sound that will alert them of your call. The common areas for your unit are out your door to the right and down at the end of the hall. Some recreation you will recognize from earth, and some you will not. All will be enjoyable and will allow you to bond with your mate and the other members of your unit at ease. If you need any help at all, press the panel on the other side of your Hydra to call me to your room. I can be here almost instantaneously, traveling through our local granolith. Do you have any questions Michael?"

Michael saw Maria, having probably the first shy moment he had ever witnessed before, peering at him from the hallway. Her eyes were locked with his in silent invitation.

"No, I think I understand. Thank you Atshaynu." He replied as their Litka bowed slightly and exited the room.

Maria, having left her shy moment behind, walked up to Michael, and boldly ran her hand lightly over his pants, as she passed on her way to the bath area. Michael, not wanting to wait after she so mercilessly teased him, grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him and into a fiery kiss. She moaned into his mouth and couldn't help but respond when he slipped in his tongue. Remembering she wanted this day to be perfect, it took all her power to gently push him away so she could look into his eyes.

"Michael" she said as he pulled her mouth back to his and reached around to cup her ass.

"Later Maria" he replied as he began to grind against the front of her, her hips involuntarily bucking against his hard member which was now very apparent.

"Michael" she said again between feverish kisses. "Michael!" she shouted.

"What is it?!" he replied. "I'm dying here Maria..." his eyes pleading with her.

"I'm dying here too! I just..I just want to go slow you know? We only get one first time…and I…I want…" she replied slowly biting her lip at the end. She didn't want to disappoint him.

"Ok, ok." He sighed in resignation "I know, I do to." He replied while gathering her against him in a gentle hug. As soon as her skin made contact with his again though, he felt his desire double. Resisting the urge to maul her with all he had, he said quickly "You better go fast before I attack you again!" while pushing her in the direction of the bathroom and slamming his hand on the plate to close the door behind her as he stood panting. He grabbed his crotch as it throbbed and yelped as he grabbed a little to hard.

"Michael, are you ok?" he heard her call from the bathroom.

"I'm fine…just hurry alright!" he replied beyond frustrated.

She giggled and yelled back in a sing song voice "I'll be their sooooon."

He gave an annoyed sigh and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He then began to tear off his clothes and went in search of something else to wear all the while trying not to think of Maria and what she looked like behind that door…

Alex was staring in amazement at the beauty of his and Isabel's rooms. After their Litka Nehkimo had departed, having given them all the instructions they would need for the next two weeks, Isabel rushed into the bath area and told Alex she had to do a few things. He gulped when he though of what she might be doing behind that door. He walked over to the French doors, that led to their private garden area, and went outside. The air was a bit warmer than their room, in the shade, and it felt about 80 degrees in direct sunlight. He took in a breath of the best air his lungs had ever breathed, turned around and went back inside to find something else to wear before Isabel came out of the bathroom. He walked over to his dresser area; well you couldn't really call it a dresser. It more closely resembled drawers that were in the walls of the room. They each had a small button you pressed to have them slide smoothly out of the wall. On his side of the room, they were filled with clothing for him to wear while on Neweden. The temperature was so mild that most of the clothing was light and soft in an array of colors and fabrics. When they had arrived, Nehkimo had showed them where their shoes would be held until their departure, as they would have no need for shoes while there. The ground inside, as well as outside, was soft and spongy, and cool to the touch. He smiled when he found a soft red robe with matching red shorts. The material looked like linen but was much more supple. He quickly got undressed and as he slipped the clothing onto his skin, it made him think of Isabel's soft skin sliding against his own. He had to stifle a moan as his skin began to heat up and his desire was becoming apparent below his waist. He dove for the bed as he heard Isabel near the door in the bathroom. Getting under the covers to hide his unbidden arousal, he had just found a position he liked when the door to the bath area slid open.


	32. Chapter 31b

_**Hey Guys, a quick explanation of what I'm doing next. Each couple will have their own chapter part (i.e. 31b, 31c, 31d, and 31e) I hope you enjoy being a part of the most intimate moment of their lives!**_

-Andrea

**Chapter 31b**

Max quickly swallowed to put some moisture back into his mouth before he said "Wow" with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Liz blushed profusely and smiled a shy smile.

"Maaax." She said while biting her lip and transferring her weight to one leg as she stood shyly.

"I mean it Liz. You are breathtaking. I think I literally forgot to breath for a moment there!" he said as he walked over to her and took her hands in his.

He pulled her over to the edge of the bed and sat down, putting his arms around her waist. She was nestled between his legs as he kissed her stomach through the sheer fabric. He knew he'd soon loose control and wanted to make this time perfect for her, so he gently moved her away from him and turned her around so she could sit where he was just sitting.

"Hold on, I want to do something first" he said as he walked over to a table near the wall in front of the bed.

He held his hand over a white octagonal shaped glass box and when he removed it a fire had lit. Tossing a playful glance to Liz, who was biting her lip again in that cute way he loved, he continued toward the doors leading outside. He waved his hand over a button on the wall and deep burgundy sheer curtains began descending from the ceiling effectively blocking out most of the outside light.

Liz watched Max walk, and couldn't help the feelings of passion that were mounting in her. She watched as he moved and each muscle flexed and when he looked at her with his smoldering eyes...she shifted on the bed in anticipation.

"Max…come over here…I'm getting cold…" she mock whined.

"Just one more second my love" he replied as he retrieved a small dark blue vial from the bathroom.

"What's that?" Liz asked while she looked coy and twirled her hair around her finger.

"This is just something I've been waiting to do for you for a long time" he said as he approached the bed.

He got on the bed behind her and after pouring a few drops of oil onto his hands and rubbing them together to heat the oil, he began to massage her shoulders. His fingers kneaded gently but firmly and Liz felt herself turn to a pile of putty in his hands.

"Max…Oh Max that feels so good" she said as felt her eyes slip closed in bliss. "It smells heavenly too…"

"An angel should smell like heaven…" he replied and Liz just sighed in response.

Max could feel himself getting harder as he was kneeling behind her, and could see her breasts move every so slightly, beneath her outfit with every stroke. He began to trail his hands down her arms, squeezing lightly and changing from massage to sensual stroking every few moments; kissing her neck and shoulders with feather light kisses intermittently.

After a little while, he got off of the bed then and had her scoot back so she was resting against the pillows with her feet in his lap. He began to rub her feet and she threw her head back against the pillows in pleasure.

He then moved up to her ankles, then ran his fingers underneath the sheer material covering her legs to rub her calves. Slowly he worked his way up her legs rubbing, stroking, caressing, and every so often dropping a gentle kiss onto her skin. Liz was in pure heaven and felt herself getting hotter and hotter the closer Max got to her hot center.

When he got to her thighs he caught the scent of her sex and groaned in desire. It took all he had not to just bury his head, right that second, and taste her.

He crawled on top of her then, straddling her hips, and caught her lips in a smoldering kiss. Her arms went around his neck and she pulled him down on top her. One hand cradled her head and the other went to one of her breasts and began massaging it through the fabric. He could feel her nipple rise against his hand and he moaned into her mouth at all the new sensations he was feeling. Liz was quickly loosing control as well and slid her tongue into Max's mouth to deepen the kiss further.

She pushed the robe he was wearing off of his shoulders and ran her hands down his back; massaging and stroking. Max began to kiss her neck alternating sucking and kissing and Liz moaned in pleasure.

He began to trail kisses down her chest and used one of his hands to test the fabric on the front of her outfit; teasing the top of her breasts as he did so. He found that the fabric was very stretchy. He had no trouble running his hands down from her shoulders to chest and catching the fabric with his fingers pulling it down and exposing her breasts to his waiting gaze.

"God Liz, you are so beautiful…"

He immediately took one of them in his mouth, sucking and stroking with his tongue making Liz moan and writhe underneath him. He massaged her other breast with his hand and grunted when he felt the tightening of his member even more, if that was possible.

He shifted his weight on the bed and gently put his other knee between her legs to spread them apart. Liz took the opportunity to reach down and tentatively slipped one of her hands under the waistband of his shorts. Max sucked in a breath as he realized what she was doing and brought his lips back up to her mouth in feverish kisses. He hiked up the fabric of her dress, and Liz helpfully raised her hips to help him. Max helped Liz to quickly remove the sheer outfit she was wearing and caught her mouth again as he massaged her breasts with his hands.

He began to trace slow circles around her nipples and Liz was beside herself with how good that felt. Then he replaced his hands with his tongue and alternated sucking and caressing, as his hands kneaded her hips. Liz couldn't believe how good that felt, but was squirming because she wanted more of him in contact with her burning skin. She arched up against him and he looked down to see the tiny wisp of fabric hiding all that he had left to see of his amazing Liz.

While still kissing her he trailed one hand down her neck, over her breasts and down her stomach to come to rest at the top of the fabric. He played ever so gently at the top of it as Liz was doing the same to him. Her hand was just under his waist band and she was pushing her hand further in, inch by inch, massaging his abdomen as she went further and further down. He dropped his hand further down and began trailing the edges of fabric on both sides. He then started gently snaking one finger in as he pushed the fabric to the side with his other fingers.

Liz moaned "Oh Max…." as she was getting wetter and wetter as he teased her.

He trailed his finger from the top of her hot center down to the bottom and up again over and over. Liz began to arch up against his hand as she slipped her hand all the way in his shorts and took a hold of him, gently stroking him up and down his shaft. Max put both knees between her legs and since he was leaning over her, the next time Liz bucked his member came in contact with her hot core through their remaining clothing.

"Liz…oh god Liz…I love you…" he gasped as he felt himself getting so close to loosing it.

"I love you to Max…ohhh….I want you inside me…now Max…please…make love to me" she begged as she pushed his shorts down with both her hands. Max then slipped one finger inside of Liz, moving it back and forth. He felt her hot slickness surround his finger and moaned, knowing she was ready for him. Catching her mouth in a searing kiss he positioned himself at her entrance and gently began sliding in. When he reached her barrier, he broke the kiss and looked at her while gasping.

"Do you want me to remove it?" he asked quickly.

Liz was going crazy having such a small part of him in her when she wanted ALL of him in her and replied with quickly arching her hips up against him, sheathing him all the way herself. Max moaned in ecstasy and Liz only felt a slight momentary burn before enjoying the feeling of being filled to the brim with Max.

"Oh God Liz…"he moaned again.

"Max…" was all she got out before he took her mouth again. He rocked against her and she matched his rhythm, tilting her hips up to give him more access. Max quickly felt his orgasm building and suddenly their connection sprang to life. His feelings became her feelings and her feelings became his feelings bursting suddenly like a dam broken loose as both of their orgasms reached their peak. Max could feel his seed spilling into Liz and felt hot liquid electricity flowing through his veins. Liz opened her eyes just at the end, with enough time to see the look on Max's face as he came. She would remember that face forever. She was then overwhelmed with her own orgasm before Max even finished, and felt heat permeate every crevice of her body. As the extreme pleasure subsided she felt like she was floating on air. Max stopped his movement inside of her and laid down lightly, covering her with his body. He then propped himself on his elbows and looked into her eyes…"I love you Liz Evans."

"I love you Max Evans" she smiled and then let out a giggle. "I can't believe we just did that!" she exclaimed.

"I can't believe we haven't done that before!" He replied and Liz grabbed the pillow next to her and whacked him in the head with it.

"Oh you 're going to pay for that one later little lady…" Max said in mock aggression.

"Oh really…is that a promise?" she replied with a demure smile, blinking her eyelashes at him.


	33. Chapter 31C

**_Thank you_ _Nikkitan for your gracious compliment!!! I try really hard when I write...and I'm glad you like it so much! _**

**_Thank you to the rest of you who are reading, but have not reviewed yet. I really appreciate your taking time to read my story. Please, leave me a comment with your thougts...each time I get a new one it's like Christmas at my house! Enjoy..._**

**Chapter 31 C**

"You like what you see?" Tess asked him brazenly.

"Understatement" he replied while crawling to the side of the bed and caressing her cheek with his hand.

"You look divine…" He said while pulling her against him; hands on her shoulders and gently pressing his lips onto hers. His hands went over her shoulders and down her back, stopping at her waist and snaking around to have even more contact with her. He felt a heat spring up between them and felt his skin ignite. He moaned when he felt the heat grip his hard member and it began to throb.

Tess was experiencing a state of being she had never experienced before. Kyle felt like liquid heat on her skin and was burning her through her dress. Kyle deepened the kiss, softly running his tongue along her upper lip and slowly easing it into her mouth. Tess responded immediately by running the top of her tongue along the tip of his and moaned into his mouth as this was making her even hotter. All she could think was that she wanted to remove what was left blocking her skin from his, and fast. Just as she was reaching back to pull at the strings in the back of her dress, he broke the kiss, panting. Tess gave a frustrated sigh.

"What? Why are you stopping?" she asked she asked while squeezing his sides in displeasure.

"Slow down Tess…" he said as she pressed her lips together and looked to the side, looking irritated and hurt. What was wrong with her? Why did he stop after all that she could feel happening between them?

"Hey…hey. Look at me…" he said while stroking her cheek softly with his fingertips. She slid her eyes back to his with some reluctance, embarrassed that she had blown up at him so easily.

"Don't get the wrong idea here. I just want this to be perfection for you Tess; and perfection take a little time…" he said while grasping the smooth, thin chopstick like piece of wood that was holding Tess' hair up in a bun, letting her curls fall down to frame her face and caress her shoulders.

She could feel one hot tear slide down her cheek. Kyle was being so good to her. After all that she had been through in her life. People had used her for the monthly check, or she remembered one of her foster parents leering at her when she hit adolescence. She was still getting used to someone loving her unconditionally, just because of who she was and not what she could do for them. Kyle was her idea of perfection. She didn't think she deserved someone like him.

"You're wrong Tess" Kyle spoke in response to her silence as he was sure of her inner thought pattern.

"You deserve much more than me…but I hope I'm enough" he said sincerely.

She threw her arms around his neck and his arms encircled her in a bear hug. "Kyle, you are…and more! How did you know what I was thinking?" she asked with emotion.

"Don't think I haven't spent every minute, since I've known you, twiddling my thumbs. I've been studying you and learning you. I want to know everything about you! I love you Tess…so much." He replied with tightening his embrace, then loosening his arms so he could look her in the eyes again.

"I love you too Kyle" she said smiling through foggy eyes, a layer of tears fresh at the surface.

"Now no more tears…it's time for some more fun…" he said in mock severity.

Tess responded with a giggle and she waved a hand over her face, erasing the redness and the tears.

"Wow…there's the beauty I married!" he said honestly as he ran his hands lightly down her arms.

She smiled in response, but then a smoldering gaze met his eyes.

"Since we are taking things a bit slower, let's do something…" she said with an excited look.

"What did you have in mind?" he replied unsure what she was cooking up.

Tess trotted over to the bathroom area and disappeared for a couple minutes coming back with a medium sized brown, rectangular bag; which she slung over her shoulder. With her free hand, she threaded her fingers with his and pulled him towards their French doors leading outside.

"You want to take me for a walk?...Now??" he replied surprised.

"You'll see…you were the one who put the brakes on anyway if I'm not mistaken." She replied with a laugh.

"Guilty as charged…you want to cuff me?" he said suggestively as he offered her his wrists.

"Later…" she winked, as they stepped out onto the soft earth outside their room.

Kyle took a deep breath and exclaimed "This air is so amazing…makes me not want to ever go back to that smog ridden planet we like to call home."

"I know! The temperature is perfect too..." she agreed while spinning around with her arms stretched out at her sides. She suddenly broke into a run and rounded a curve just out of Kyle's sight.

"Hey, come back here!" He yelled to her as he took off after her. He rounded the corner and stopped at the splendor he beheld. Tess' silhouette facing the golden sea, with the dark red sun glinting off of the surface and illuminating Tess like a goddess. The lavender sky peeked out through the clouds and Kyle was struck speechless.

"Isn't this beautiful Kyle?" she asked quietly over her shoulder.

"Your second understatement of the day little lady" he replied while coming up behind her and sliding his hands around her waist. He began gently kissing the back of her neck, trailing kisses over her shoulders. Tess felt a shiver go through her when his breath tickled one of her ears.

"Hold on a second" she said as she smoothly disentangled herself from his arms. She reached into the bag she had brought with her and drew out a thick tan blanket. She unfolded it quickly and spread it out near the water, but far enough away that the water would not get it wet. She kneeled down on it and motioned for Kyle to join her on the blanket.

"Kinky Tess…you don't mind if someone hears or sees us out here…um…together?" he asked with mock abash.

"Well besides the waves making great, soothing background noise, Gonuva told me this is our own private beach…and no one can see us here…"

"Well in that case…" he replied as he charged her and Tess squealed.

The blanket she spread was quite large and even though Kyle rolled with her a couple of times, they were still on the blanket.

Kyle landed on top of her, straddling her between his legs. Tess' breaths became shorter as it was very apparent how much he wanted her right now. Slowly Kyle leaned down over her and began to kiss every part of her face, beginning with her forehead and her temples, then her eyes and nose, and finally he trailed light kisses over her cheeks and jawbone. Tess had never felt so loved by anyone in her life.

When his mouth neared hers, she turned to catch his lips with hers and soon they were engrossed in a passionate kiss. Kyle had one hand cradling her head, with his thumb stroking her cheek, as the other began to drift down her body. He felt the curve of her shoulder, then the curve her side dipped until it flared out again at her hip. Tess' hands were threaded in Kyle's hair as he left a trail of fire down her side with his touch. Involuntarily she arched up against his throbbing erection when she felt it brush her aching center.

He broke their kiss to say "Tess…if you keep that up…I won't be able to maintain control…" he panted out.

"Kyle we have our whole life for control…I want to lose control…if just this once…" she replied while pulling his head back down so she could taste him again. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and slid it across her own. The sensation made her moan into his mouth as she pushed gently against his tongue with hers.

She suddenly began to sit up, her lips still locked with his. He felt she wanted to roll over and helped her to straddle him. His arms went around her waist then trailed up and down her back as she captured his cheeks between her hands and then slid up to thread through his hair, kissing him for dear life. Kyle's hands slipped under her lacing at the back and he pulled on the strings experimentally. He was working blind and didn't want to tear her dress. Frustrated that he couldn't undo them, his hands drifted to the front and began to stroke Tess hard nipples through the fabric. His hands became more firm as he groped and caressed her breasts until Tess suddenly broke their kiss.

She sat up, her face ablaze with passion, and reached behind her dress. Deftly she undid her laces and with a little alien magic, she caused her dress to fall from her shoulders, landing in a puddle around her waist.

For an instant Kyle couldn't breathe as he took in Tess' milky satin skin. Her pink nipples were perfectly round and her chest was bigger than he had imagined; perfectly proportioned. The sun was behind her head, and made her curls reflect the light. He came back to his senses an instant later, and reached up to cup one breast in his hand.

"Oh god you feel so good Tess" he gasped.

Tess responded by throwing her head back a little, and moaning as he began to knead the breast he had in his hand. His other hand made its way around her back and pulled her down on top of him, so he could catch her nipple in his hot waiting mouth. He couldn't resist gently pinching her other nipple with his hand, which only caused her to moan more.

He suckled her gently then more ardently, and Tess could feel wetness drench between her legs as the ache to feel Kyle shot through her body. Her breath began to come in short gasps as he was driving her crazy. He quickly changed breasts and as he suckled the new breast, as he softly caressed the other with his hand, before flicking that nipple a little, pinching firmly.

"Oh my god Kyle….ohhhh" she moaned.

His mouth never leaving chest, his hands then slid down her sides and began to push at her dress. Tess slipped her knees between his legs and helped him to push her dress down to her ankles. Kyle then wrapped his arms around her and then rolled over again so that he was on top.

He lifted his head from her now dark pink nipple, and surveyed his goddess in all her naked glory.

She self-consciously began to squirm under his gaze. "Kyyyyyle…you are staaaaring.." she trailed off and looked to the side, under his blistering stare.

"I can't help it Tess…you are just so gorgeous…" he replied while shrugging out of his robe. Tess' hands went immediately to his waist band and pulled down his shorts to expose a formidable, swollen, hard member.

She felt her breath catch in her throat as she took in the sight of Kyle for the first time, without a stitch of clothing on. "God I love you…..Adonis…." She whispered

"I'd be insulted if I thought you actually know someone named Adonis…" Tess responded by huffing, until Kyle smiled and pressed a finger to her lips.

"I love you too…and I was thinking the same thing Aphrodite…" he replied as he kissed her face again and placed a knee between her legs. Her arms went around his neck and pulled him down on top of her hot little body. While kissing her deeply, he pressed himself against her as much as he could while placing his other knee between her legs. Her now soft nipples felt so awesome pressed against his hard chest before the friction made them hard again. Her legs then responded by wrapping around his hips bringing his firm appendage in direct contact with her sensitive core.

Kyle pulled his hips away from hers just a little as his hand snaked over the edge of her breast on its way down her side and in between their bodies. His fingers trailed embers as he began to tease the vulnerable skin that joined her thighs to her private lips. Slowly they stroked, working their way in until they came in contact with her drenched heat.

"Kyle…ohhhh…please…." She moaned as she arched up against his hand. He began by unhurriedly slipping a finger inside her, little by little. She was writhing underneath him and he could tell what he was doing was driving her just as crazy as it was driving him. He withdrew his finger, and took a hold of his girth, carefully positioning at her entrance. He didn't want to hurt her.

"Kyle…ohhhh…" she moaned when she felt him come in direct contact with her warm, wet entry. She arched up against him then, partially sheathing him inside her.

"Oh God Tess…I don't think I can go slow…" he strangled out.

"I don't want you too…" she replied by arching firmly up against him again and suddenly she was filled with all of him. They both moaned, Kyle in ecstasy and Tess a little from the momentary burn, then she shared in the blissful feeling as he began to move inside of her.

She raised up a little on her elbows, so Kyle could have better access to her breasts as he began to thrust within her. He sucked on her nipples and Tess moaned in delight at all the new sensations she was feeling at the same time. Kyle began to pick up the pace of his rhythm as he felt his pleasure sensors reaching to new heights. They rocked together, kissing, touching, panting, and getting hotter by the second. He wrapped his hands around Tess' shoulders and took her mouth again in his, kissing her fiercely as he felt himself getting close. Tess was nearing her own orgasm and began bucking up against him as liquid pleasure began spreading hotly throughout her body. Tess squeezed Kyle with her legs, which were still wrapped around his hips, as she felt him stiffen and her hot juices drench him. His seed spilled into her like liquid fire, and Tess could swear that she actually felt it hitting deep inside of her. Kyle shuddered, moaning as his climax leveled off and Tess sighed in rapture. They rolled over, Kyle still inside of Tess, and he held her close.

"OH my gosh…that was perfect Kyle." Tess said sincerely.

"Are you sure I wasn't too rough with you?" he asked softly.

"No, not at all. I loved every minute!" she replied with a giggle and Kyle sighed, relieved.

"Now all I need is a hot shower…" Tess gave him a curious look. "With company of course" he added quickly, inclining his head in her direction.

"I totally agree….aughghg!!!" Tess suddenly yelped, and Kyle instantly knew why. They both sat up and saw that the tide was coming in, and water was now lapping at their feet.

Kyle and Tess both jumped up and pulled the blanket back, so it wouldn't get wet. Tess picked up her bag and dragged, to where the blanket now was, about 20 feet from the water. Another idea suddenly struck her, and she began to walk back to the water.

"Where are you going Tess? I thought you wanted to take a shower" Kyle asked in curiosity.

Tess threw a look at him over her shoulder and replied "I'm fulfilling another fantasy…we can shower later…you coming?"

"You better believe it!" He replied as he ran up behind her and scooped her up in his arms, causing Tess to squeal in delight, as he ran them into the warm water.


	34. Chapter 31D

**Hope you guys are still out there...let me know what you think! Please? Pretty Please. -Smile-**

**-Andrea**

**Chapter 31D**

Maria ran her hands along the different colored, bright fabrics hanging in her personal closet. She was in awe of some of the most beautiful garments she had ever seen before. She began to notice that they were arranged around her in some kind of order. Tops followed by bottoms, followed by one piece dresses. They were also arranged by color and fabric type, and she wondered if someone would be keeping her clothing in order, because if not, she would soon mix everything up!

In the middle of the closet was a rectangular, island with some type of drawers from top to bottom. Curious to see what was in them she began pressing the button she found at the top right corner of the drawers, and one by one, they slid open at her touch. She picked up and examined an item her and there; socks, silky tights, underwear, under shirts…but no bras. Maybe this planet doesn't require that binding piece of clothing, she thought to herself.

The last two drawers held what were obviously negligees and her heart sped up as she sifted through her options. The first thing she found, that she knew she would wear, was a dark green, sheer robe that almost touched the floor. In the next drawer, after some sifting around, she found a black corset type of top, made out of a buttery soft leather material. It was so soft, it almost felt like satin but she knew it was some type of animal hide. It made her smile when she thought of Michael's face when he saw her in leather.

The leather pants she had worn to school one time had made him choke on his food when she walked by. He of course would not admit that was why he had choked, but she knew better.

The last piece of clothing she selected was a thong, made of the same buttery leather material, but it was the same color green as her robe. She laid out her outfit on a piece of furniture that reminded her of an ottoman, and walked back into the restroom area. She then slid her clothing off and dropped it all in a pile near the door. Catching a glimpse of a metal basket on the sink, she walked over to inspect its contents. She found a wide variety of body lotions, and oils in it; all in blue and green glass, vials and bottles. She noticed the labels were in English and also in another language which she assumed was Antarian. She took all the bottles out and lined them up on the sink, looking for her signature fragrance. When she found it she jumped up and down for a second, happy that she didn't have to settle for something else. She rubbed apple lotion all over her body and just a tiny bit of essence of apple oil in to her hair. After she was satisfied she smelled like an orchard, she walked back into the closet to get dressed.

The corset laced up the front and was fairly easy to get into. The top of the corset gathered her breasts up and supported them, making her look at least two sizes larger than she knew she was. She gave a small smile at the effect, again thinking of how Michael would react to it. After slipping her legs through the thong panty, she draped her robe around herself, and returned to the restroom. She began looking around for a brush or some kind of pins or hair bands with which to do her hair, and could find nothing. She sighed, frustrated, and looked at herself in the full length mirror in the corner.

"Now how will I do my hair…" she muttered and the mirror whirred to life.

"Do you have a style you desire, or do you wish to see a list of possibilities?" the mirror asked.

"OH my gosh…" Maria exclaimed as she jumped back from the mirror. "I guess Atshaynu forgot to explain this…" she reasoned before stepping back to the mirror. What could you expect from a male Litka. They were just like Human and Antarian males it would seem, lack of attention to detail!

"Um…I was kind of thinking of wearing it back, and straight; with some kind of silver barrettes holding the hair out of my face on both sides." She replied.

"Simply think of the style, and I will comply" the voice replied.

"Oooookaaay." Maria stated before closing her eyes and thinking of exactly what she wanted.

When she opened them again she was amazed at her reflection. Her hair was just like she imagined it, and she was wearing a silver necklace in the shape of the V-constellation around her neck. Her eyelids were darkened in shades of black and green, perfectly setting off her eyes, and her lips were colored in a shade of pale pink lip gloss. Her whole body seemed to glow, and she felt more beautiful than she had felt in her entire life.

"I can't believe my makeup is done too!" she squealed.

"Is it to your liking?" the mirror asked.

"Yes, everything is exactly how I wanted it. Thank you!" Maria replied.

"Your welcome" the mirror stated before it returned to a normal reflection.

She knew she couldn't stall any longer as she was done dressing, and walked slowly over to the door. Taking a breath, she pressed her hand to the plate and the door slid open.

Michael finally found his clothing in the drawers set into the walls, and had settled on a soft gray robe, and gray shorts. He ran his fingers through his hair, but knew it would be pointless to try and do anything else with his spikes. Suddenly getting an idea, he walked over to the Hydra and waved his hand over the button to turn it on.

It lit up and a voice said "What would you like to eat?"

"Ummm, all I need is a jar of honey and hot sauce."

"Please specify what type of hot sauce" the Hydra replied.

Praying it knew what he was talking about he said "Tabasco?" uncertainly.

"Request accepted" it replied and made a whirring sound as a glass jar of honey appeared along with a bottle of Tabasco.

"Wow…looks like Star Trek had it right after all…" he said with a smile as he walked back over to the bed and placed his items on the night stand. He opened the bottle of Tabasco and dropped half of its contents in the half full jar, and used his powers to mix it together. He then folded down the bed, and went over to inspect the white octagonal object on the table against the wall, directly in front of the bed. He found it was a candle of some sort, but had an oily substance at the bottom. He waved his hand over it to light it, and was satisfied when a narrow flame appeared. After setting it back down on the table, he walked over to the curtains and figured out that a switch on the wall lowered them from their open position. He lowered the silver curtains three fourths of the way, blocking out most of the light.

With the candle light, and the partial light peeking in under the curtains, he thought the room now had perfect ambient lighting. He walked back over to the bed and sat down on the edge, not really knowing what to do next and beginning to get antsy that Maria had not appeared yet. When he heard the door slide open he jumped to his feet and then froze having to do a double take of the beauty before him.

Maria's outfit made him instantly hard and he quickly pulled his robe around him to hide that fact. "Is she wearing leather?" he thought to himself as his mouth went dry. "Oh god…" he thought "How am I going to go slow when she looks like that?!" he thought.

Maria tried to stifle a giggle as she registered Michael's reaction to her outfit. She saw the gentle rise in his shorts before he yanked his robe closed and took immense satisfaction that she had that reaction on him. Suddenly gaining her confidence back, she began to glide over to him. When she reached him she touched his face with her hand, slowing letting it caress down his cheek, neck, shoulder and arm before taking his hand in hers.

"So Spaceboy…are you ready?" she asked with fiery eyes.

Michael nodded because he found that his mouth was still dry and he stood in place, afraid if he moved he'd knock her over in his frenzy.

Maria took his hesitation as an invitation for her to advance and she ran her fingers inside his robe, teasing his abs, chest and shoulders before slowly letting his robe fall to the floor. Her eyes raked over his body and took in how well built he was for the first time. Gone was the gangly boy she had seen at the pool in summers past. Hard muscles replaced youthful softness, and she felt her mouth water as her gaze danced across his skin.

Michael felt his skin ignite along Maria's trail of sight. He was getting hotter by the minute and didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back.

"What's the matter Spaceboy? Cat got your tongue?" Maria asked seductively as she whispered into his ear, softly touching his chest with hers.

"No, I have my tongue…and I'm trying to hold back what I want to do to you with it right now…" he replied with some difficulty, after swallowing to put some moisture back into his mouth.

"The time for holding back has passed…I'm not afraid of you Michael…" she replied before Michael crushed his lips onto hers and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Her mouth opened to him and their tongues entangled shooting electricity from their mouth's to the rest of their body, encompassing them in liquid heat. Michael wasted no time pushing her robe to the floor, to pool around her ankles as he picked her up she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked them back against a wall, and held her in place there as he assaulted her mouth and neck with hot kisses and licks. Maria moaned in pleasure as his hard abs pressed against her wet core and his kisses left a trail of flames along her neck.

Michael suddenly pulled her away from the wall, cupping her ass and feeling for the first time that she was wearing a thong. He felt himself get harder, and quickly laid her on the bed, climbing on top of her. As he kissed and sucked her neck, and the tops of her breasts his other hand pulled at the strings that tied her corset. Nimbly, he got the bow undone, and began undoing her laces. Getting frustrated, he used a bit of alien magic, to draw the rest of the string out from their holes, and the corset snapped open for him.

His head went down and fastened to the first exposed nipple and Maria arched her back, for him to have better access, and moaned in pleasure. He palmed the other with his hand, before switching breasts. He then placed hot open mouthed kisses down her stomach before seeing her green leather thong, covering the last bit he hadn't seen of her. Without stopping, he waved his hand, and the material snapped open, exposing her blonde glory to him. His tossed the thong aside, mentally noting to fix it later, and buried his face in her warm muff. Maria bucked up startled, and squirmed away, raising up on her elbows.

"Umm..doesn't it..umm…well…you know…" she said while blushing.

"No, as a matter of fact, it doesn't….I could do this all day. But if it makes you feel better…" he broke off as he reached for the jar of honey on the side of the bed.

"Where…where did you get that?" she asked in amazed and confused.

"From the Hydra…" he replied matter of fact "now close your eyes…"

"Michael…." She mock whined.

"Close theeem" he replied.

"Ohh…ok" she said as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

He drizzled a little in the hollow of her neck, then down between her breasts, then he made a couple small circles around her nipples, before leaving a trail down her stomach and finally he dropped a liberal amount on her hot aching core. He waved is hand over it immediately though, removing the Tabasco, so it would not burn her sensitive skin in that area.

Michael began by slowly licking off the honey in the hollow of her neck, then kissed her deeply, so she could taste the hot/sweet honey on his mouth. When he broke the kiss, Maria couldn't believe what she was thinking.

"I hate to admit it spaceboy, but I'm beginning to understand the hot sweet thing…ooooohhhh that feels good." She moaned as he began to suck off the honey trail from her neck to her breasts.

Slowly he worked his way down and between, before rising up to her left breast and suckling her nipple. Maria felt tiny shots of electricity as he suckled and moaned in enjoyment.

He then slid his tongue along the dip between her breasts before taking the other one in his mouth. He kneaded the now clean breast as he licked and sucked the honey off of the other. Maria was writing in bliss, and felt wetness drench between her legs in anticipation of what was to come. When he had cleaned her right breast too, he licked and sucked his way down her abdomen, making Maria wriggle even more, until he reached her swollen nub. That's when she arched up and moaned loudly, and Michael grinned inwardly that he had that effect on her.

He lapped at her core and laved her, making sure he cleaned her well, and drove her crazy in the process. His tongue kept dipping further and further down until he was at her entrance. He easily slipped it inside of her and tasted her juices making himself moan in pleasure.

"Unnnghghh.." he moaned and the vibrations his voice created, caused Maria to arch into his mouth even more.

"Oh my god Michael…" Maria moaned as she threaded her fingers in his hair and arched up again against his mouth.

He could sense she was getting close, with what he was doing, and when he felt her gentle tug on his hair, he willingly brought his mouth back to hers and straddled her. Maria could taste the honey in his mouth as she sucked on the tip of his tongue, and could smell the musk that was hers. She found that she didn't mind the smell as long as it was on Michael's mouth and kissed him more ardently. She raked her nails down his back in impatience, and slithered her fingers underneath is waist band, pushing his shorts off of his hips. Needing no further invitation, Michael whipped his shorts off, simultaneously spreading Maria's pliant legs, and leaned over her once again.

Maria then pushed him off of her, and Michael look at her confused, as his passion was making his thinking fuzzy. Quickly she made him lie down, and threw one leg over his hips to straddle him, resting on her hands and knees and kissing him fervently. Michael's pleasure sensors shot off the roof, feeling her breasts tickling his chest, and her hot slit rubbing his cock. He couldn't believe it when he felt her lightly positioning herself over his hard member, and then slowly her hips rocked until he felt her progressively sliding down his shaft.

"Maria I want you…." He strangled out, wanting all of him to be inside of her.

After briefly considering the burn she knew would be coming from being filled with Michael she dismissed the thought and whispered back "Then take me…" and he arched up to fully sheath himself inside of her. They both moaned in pleasure and Maria wondered why she didn't feel anything but delight at the movement she now felt inside of her. Not really bothering to care at the moment, she matched Michael's rhythm and sat up, when his hands gripped her around her hips. He gently lifted her up and down his shaft, and loved seeing her breasts bob with every stroke. Maria's tender nub was taking in every movement, and she felt her pleasure begin to heighten with every thrust. Suddenly taking control she leaned forward, with her hands on his chest and took control of their speed.

"Maria…ohhh" Michael strangled out, as her speed up and bobbing breasts were quickly taking him over the edge. Not being able to resist, he pulled her hands down to the bed, on either side of him, so she was leaning farther down and took one of her breasts in his mouth and sucked hard.

"Ohhhh…Michael…mmmm" she moaned and then bit her lip as she felt herself reaching her climax; liquid heat filling the space between her legs, and then spreading out into the rest of her body.

As she went over the edge, she felt Michael get super hard inside of her, and then felt his hot cum shoot up. Arching one last time into Maria's now drenched passage, Michael's climax passed and he pulled Maria down on top of him to kiss her senseless. Their bodies slick with sweat, Michael gently lifted Maria off of him and laid her down beside him.

After a big contented sigh Maria said "I was expecting that last part to burn or something, but instead it was pure heavan..." Maria said elated, then turned curious eyes on Michael who seemed to be smiling behind "I have a secret" eyes.

"What?" Maria asked.

"Umm, I sort of took care of that little...thing...while I was taking care of other business in the region..." he said while his eyes slid down to her blonde glory again, which made Maria giggle and flip on her back to look at the ceiling and away from Michale's pericing stare.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asked her while tucking her now tousled hair behind her ear.

"Hahah, yeah, you say that now!" she giggled.

"I'm serious Maria! You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. When I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were the only one for me." He said sincerely.

"Why did you take so long to tell me??!! She said as she pushed him in the chest, a little harder then she intended to.

"Oh so you wanna wrestle now huh?" Michael asked with a wicked glint in his eye.

Seeing his intentions were quickly changing, Maria replied "You gotta catch me fiiirst" while jumping off of the bed, and running towards the shower; Michael right on her heels.

"Oh, I'll catch you" he said as he caught her hand, spinning her around, and twisting her arm back behind her back, taking her lips in an affectionate kiss.

"Ow…Mi..ch..you..hurting" she strangled out between kisses.

"If you stop squirming it won't hurt" he replied and Maria responded by stomping on his foot.

"Ow!" Michael yelled, and Maria smiled and laughed in victory as he let her out of his grasp. Seeing his dangerous look come back, she sprinted for the closet, thinking she could get the door locked before he got to her, but was unsuccessful, as Michael rushed at her and pinned her arms above her head, on the ottoman, kissing her passionately. She felt him get hard again underneath her, just as her own temperature began to rise, and knew they'd be in the closet for a little while…


	35. Chapter 31E

**_Hello to you all! Thanks for sticking it out with me and being patient for the new part. It has been crazy hectic for me the past month with the holidays and work driving me completely bananas! I also wanted this part to be really special (and hot!) so I wanted to spend some extra time with it. I hope it meets everyone's expectations!_**

**_The following chapter(s) will be back to everyone else but no promises as to when that will be... (sorry it's still busy at my work ( ) I'll try my hardest though!_**

**Chapter 31E**

**Previously--**_Alex was staring in amazement at the beauty of his and Isabel's rooms. After their Litka Nehkimo had departed, having given them all the instructions they would need for the next two weeks, Isabel rushed into the bath area and told Alex she had to do a few things. He gulped when he though of what she might be doing behind that door. He walked over to the French doors, that led to their private garden area, and went outside. The air was a bit warmer than their room, in the shade, and it felt about 80 degrees in direct sunlight. He took in a breath of the best air his lungs had ever breathed, turned around and went back inside to find something else to wear before Isabel came out of the bathroom. He walked over to his dresser area; well you couldn't really call it a dresser. It more closely resembled drawers that were in the walls of the room. They each had a small button you pressed to have them slide smoothly out of the wall. On his side of the room, they were filled with clothing for him to wear while on Neweden. The temperature was so mild that most of the clothing was light and soft in an array of colors and fabrics. When they had arrived, Nehkimo had showed them where their shoes would be held until their departure, as they would have no need for shoes while there. The ground inside, as well as outside, was soft and spongy, and cool to the touch. He smiled when he found a soft red robe with matching red shorts. The material looked like linen but was much more supple. He quickly got undressed and as he slipped the clothing onto his skin, it made him think of Isabel's soft skin sliding against his own. He had to stifle a moan as his skin began to heat up and his desire was becoming apparent below his waist. He dove for the bed as he heard Isabel near the door in the bathroom. Getting under the covers to hide his unbidden arousal, he had just found a position he liked when the door to the bath area slid open.--_

Isabel looked around the restroom in amazement, and familiarity as part of the design of it was obviously like Earth, but distinct parts of its set up were Antarian. Suddenly remembering her favorite part of an Antar bath area, she began scanning the walls for a diamond shaped panel. Squealing in delight, she found it at the back of her dressing area, and with a smile, she waved her hand over the plate. A portion of the wall slid away and her body was greeted with a warm, moist breeze. The fog instantly cleared, and she beheld a kidney shaped pool of cobalt blue water. There was a very fine layer of steam resting on the surface, but the rich blue color shone through and was still immensely enticing.

She had to resist the urge to step inside and let the hot, milky water caress her entire body with warm pleasure. Looking up, she saw that the red walled chamber was completely dark except for a few small lights shining like spot lights on different areas of the pool, and a large shaft of light was shining down on the very middle. Tilting her head to the side, she suddenly got a very good idea. Shivering a little, she pictured what her and Alex could do in a pool of water such as this. As a thrill of excitement shot through her, she twirled around and quickly made her way out of the steam pool area and to the drawers of her closet as the door slid shut behind her.

She began to rifle through the clothing in all the drawers of her closet, feeling herself get moist between her thighs, as thoughts of her and Alex's future activities swirled in her head. She finally found intimate clothing in her signature color red, and began to look for something that would knock Alex's socks off. She settled on a raspberry red teddy made of satin. Black lace made a three inch border over the curves of her chest, and dipped down to just above her nipples, meeting in a wide V shape between her breasts. Lace also ran down the center of the satin in a transparent swirling pattern, that would show off the inner curves of her breasts, and stretched all the way down between her thighs. The bottom edges of the teddy were boy cut, and black stretch lace lined the edges. She found a matching black lacy robe and made her way out to the dressing area. She placed her clothing choices down on the ottoman, and removed her clothing, letting it fall to the floor beside it. Looking up, she recognized the Tem-chare, or in English, Style Mirror.

"Oh goodie!" she exclaimed as she clapped her hands together, and then walked over to it.

"Style Please" Isabel spoke to the mirror.

"Do you have a style you desire, or do you wish to see a list of possibilities?" the mirror asked.

"I'd like the Antarian Up-twist with long curls surrounding and cascading in the back, secured with black hashi sticks." Isabel replied. She knew all she needed to do was to tell the mirror her hair style of choice, and as she thought of her makeup, it would sense her thoughts and do the rest for her.

"Please close your eyes for compliance" the mirror chirped. Isabel obeyed and felt the invisible hands whizzing around her head and face.

"Is it to your liking?" the mirror asked when Isabel opened her eyes again.

Isabel looked on amazed as her reflection stared back at her. Her Hair was twisted into a half bun at the top of her head, with long luxurious locks of hair falling down her back in wide curls. More long curls peeked out, of the base of her bun, all the way around. Two black sticks that closely resembled chop sticks were twisted throughout her bun and held the style securely in place. Her lips were darkened to a shade that perfectly matched her teddy, and her eyes were a mixture of smoky gray and charcoal. She admired her reflection and noticed her nails and toenails were also painted a color to match her outfit.

"I had forgotten the Temchare did that" she stated to herself while she inspected the color. She then walked to the sink and rifled through the glass vials containing fragrances. She knew Alex loved the smell of cinnamon buns, and was ecstatic when she found a brown sugar/cinnamon combination with a certain Antarian mark on the bottle indicating it was a sweet-edible. She took care rubbing the creamy lotion all over her body and she smelled like a delectable confection when she was done. She knew whenever Alex kissed her skin he would get more of a sweet surprise than he was expecting!

She then walked back to the dressing area to slip into her teddy and robe. The robe reached the floor and was a tiny bit to long. Frowning, she walked to the closet area and looked through her bag of belongings she brought with her from Earth. Her frown turned to a smile when she found the extra pair of tennis shoes she had stuffed into her bag before she knew she wouldn't need shoes on this planet. With a quick wave of her hand her tennis shoes turned into a pair of black stiletto heels, and she got a wicked glint in her eyes as she knew this would be the icing on the cake to completely shock her new husband. After sliding her feet into the heels, she walked over to the door separating her from Alex, and firmly pressed her hand to the plate.

Alex looked up when he heard the door slide open and involuntarily felt his mouth drop open in shock. Isabel stood with one hand on the doorway frame and looked like something out of Alex's wildest fantasy.

"Oh my god…." he thought to himself "…oh…my…god…wow...oh…my…god…" he kept repeating in his head.

Isabel stepped through the doorway and walked half of the distance separating her from Alex and placed her hands on her hips.

"Hi Alex" she cooed at him.

"Um…hi…I…um…I…I mean you…you look…." He struggled to say something coherent, but was failing miserably. "She looks so hot…god I hope I'm not drooling!!" he thought to himself as his eyes traveled up and down her body.

Isabel laughed at his lack of ability to speak clearly at the moment and walked over to him. She placed a finger to his lips to silence his attempts to talk for the moment, and placed her hands in his to pull him up.

As she bent down, Alex's eyes were glued to the black lace holding in her breasts. He was staring at her creamy roundness, and he couldn't help himself! The little curves visible through the lace in the middle almost made him choke in surprise, before he forced himself to look up as he stood up and met Isabel's smoldering gaze.

"Do you want to dance?" she asked him seductively.

"But…uh…there's no music" Alex replied shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"I can fix that." She replied while pulling away from him and gliding her way into the bathroom.

She left Alex standing their stunned, but returned in only 30 seconds or so. She was carrying a walkman and placed it down on the table next to the bed. Using some Alien magic she caused it to have stereo sound throughout the room and the voice of Etta James engulfed them singing "At Last". She then stretched her hand to the light at the center of the ceiling causing the lights to dim, and dark spots to spin around them on the walls.

Alex, finally having composed himself somewhat, offered his hand to Isabel as she walked back to him and gathered her close to him when she stepped into his arms.

Looking into her eyes, and finally finding coherency, he told her softly "You look breathtaking Izzy."

Isabel gave a shy smile at his compliment and blushed as his eyes were piercing her own so deeply. His eyes were pools of desire, and they sent shivers up and down her spine.

"You don't look so bad yourself my love" she replied as she draped her arms more securely around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She loved how tall he was. Here she was wearing the highest black stilettos she had ever braved, and he was still taller than her. She sighed in contentment as she felt his warmth surround her.

He breathed in her scent and found that she smelled like cinnamon rolls…he gave a tiny shudder of pleasure as he breathed in more deeply.

Isabel giggled softly as she realized what Alex was doing and shifted to give him better access to her neck. Alex took the opportunity to gently sweep her thick curls to the side and place gentle kisses down the side of her neck from ear to collar bone. He could feel a light oiliness on his lips as he got to her collar bone and involuntarily licked his lips. He was met with the most delicious sugary/cinnamon combination he had ever experienced and couldn't help himself when he began to place wet open mouthed kisses all over her neck and collar bones; tasting her intermittently.

"Oh Alex…mmm…that feels so good" she moaned as he assaulted her skin with his mouth and tongue.

"Mmmmm…you…taste…delicious…" he murmured between licks and kisses.

They swayed to the music as Alex continued to kiss her, finally coming up to her mouth. As his lips met hers, Isabel felt electricity shoot from her mouth to her hot center and deepened the kiss almost immediately, slipping her tongue into his mouth. He responded by caressing her tongue slowly with his and moaned into her mouth when he felt electricity surround his member and it began to throb.

Isabel suddenly remembered her surprise for Alex and pulled away slightly.

"What's the matter?" Alex asked with concern in his eyes.

"Nothing at all." She replied with a sly smile. "I just have a surprise for you"

"A surprise?" he asked with one eyebrow raised. "What kind of surprise?"

"One that I hope you will like very much…" she said as she ran her hands down his back and squeezed his hips.

"Mmm…I like surprises…especially if they are from you" he replied giving her his signature dopey grin and caressing one of her cheeks with his pointer finger.

Isabel giggled softly as she trailed her hands back to the tops of his shoulders and pushed him an arms length away from her.

"Now, I want you to do me a favor ok?" she said.

"Anything for you" he replied without hesitation. "Just name it."

"I want you to go over to the Hydra, wave your hand over the plate, and when it comes on, order a bottle of champagne. Get some kind of small sweet food too, ok honey? Then come into the restroom, hang a left into the closet and walk to the back. Your surprise will be waiting" she said coyly.

Alex gulped and replied "Yes Ma'm" as he wondered what Isabel could possibly have waiting for him in the closet of all places!

She turned and glided out of the room as Alex turned to walk to the Hydra. When Isabel got to the diamond plate, she again opened the door and she breathed in the steamy air. Noticing a coal burner in the corner, she ran back to the sink to grab some sweet spices she had seen in a packet, and came back to sprinkle them on the burner. They instantly filled the air with a steamy sweet smell, and she then walked to the far side of the pool, to stand in the shadows.

Alex finally managed to get a decent bottle of raspberry champagne from the Hydra, and grabbed two fluted crystal glasses from the adjacent cabinet. He had thought of what Isabel was wearing and raspberry champagne came to mind. He also asked the Hydra for some fresh raspberry cream cheese over butter crackers, and a bottle of Tabasco to sprinkle on top of half of them.

Spotting a crystal tray near the bottom of the cabinet, he picked it up and was surprised at how light it was. He wasted no time though grabbing a blue silk cloth from the stack he saw neatly stacked near the Hydra, and spread it out. He arranged the champagne bottle, glasses and snack neatly on the tray and carefully picked it up. Feeling a butterfly feeling of mass proportions as to what was awaiting him, and not wanting to drop what he was holding, he walked cautiously to the restroom area.

When he got to the back of the closet he was surprised to see that there was another doorway leading to a beautiful steam pool of shining blue water. He stepped inside and took a breath of sweet steamy air and sighed in satisfaction.

"Iz? Are you in here?" he called out to the darkness, not readily seeing her anywhere.

"Come further in Alex…" he heard from the shadows. Isabel could see him, with the brightness of the closet behind him, but he could not see her.

Alex saw a small black iron table near the water's edge and walked over to it to place the tray down.

"Where are you?" Alex called to the shadows with his arms raised out as the door slid shut behind him, and covered him in darkness.

"I'm right here" Isabel said as she stepped forward into the spot light at the back right corner of the pool. She was a vision standing there. The light flashed off of her golden hair as she dropped her robe to the floor. A great expanse creamy skin instantly became visible, and Alex gulped in anticipation of touching those long stems soon.

"Um…ahhhhem…can you see me?" Alex said while clearing his throat.

"No…but I want you to see me if that's ok." She replied softly.

"I see you now Iz…" Alex replied in confusion.

"No…I want you to…see me…." She replied while slipping a finger underneath one of the straps of her outfit and gently pulling it down off of her shoulder.

"Oh my god….I think I'm going to cum right here in my pants" Alex thought to himself as his breathing rate picked up.

"Iz I…" but he was cut off.

"Alex…I really want to do this for you…please?" she asked so passionately that all Alex could do was to choke out "Ok".

She proceeded to hook a finger under her other strap and pull it off of her shoulder. Her gaze was fixed on the area she knew Alex was standing, and a nervous smile played at her lips. She then picked up one foot and slipped off her right shoe and then shifted to remove her left. She bent forward to give Alex full view of her chest peeking liberally out of the top of her outfit as she laid her shoes on the ground. She then stood up to her full height and reached around the back of her outfit to unzip the back. The fabric began to fall slowly from her torso and inch by inch Alex felt as if he were hyperventilating, but with no other effects except that of feeling light headed and breathing hard. One breast was revealed, then the other. Her breasts were bigger than he had ever imagined and were shaped perfectly with dark pink nipples hardened from her excitement and the cool air above the steam.

When Isabel got the zipper all the way to hip level, she slid her hands inside the fabric at her sides and slowly slid the teddy to her ankles, bending over once again and giving Alex such a view of her at all angles that he had to hold himself back from running over to her right then. He licked his lips as she stood up to her full height, in all her naked glory. A golden v peeked up from her lower abdomen and glinted in the spot light just like her crown of hair on her head. Her abdomen was taut and she was perfectly hour glass shaped. Alex was gripping his robe so tight his knuckles were white, but no one could see in the darkness. Just when he thought he couldn't take it any longer, Isabel began to walk to the back center of the pool, and paused at the top step. Reaching up with both hands, she grasped the hashi sticks and slowly slid them from her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders and down her back in soft waves. Alex was entranced and stared open mouthed as she walked gracefully down the steps. The extremely warm water rushed around her body, as she stepped deeper, and she shivered with pleasure at each step. She stopped when she reached the center of the pool, under the main spot light. Her breasts floated in the water, her nipples just below the surface and swollen with desire. As she looked up to find Alex's eyes again she held him there with her fiery gaze.

"Aren't you going to come in Alex?" Isabel asked coyly while trailing her fingertips along the surface of the water in shy circles.

Alex, who had been mesmerized and frozen in place, suddenly walked to the pool's edge.

"Are you sure you are ready for this Iz?" Alex asked in all seriousness. He couldn't believe she had just done what she did, even though his skin was feverish with desire.

"Alex…" she said with a nervous giggle "I just took off all of my clothes, and now I'm naked in a pool of water…you do the math." She replied amused. "Come on, it's my turn to see you…" she said boldly and with a wink.

Alex hoped his knees weren't shaking as he grabbed his robe's edges and dropped it to the ground. He stole a glance at Isabel, and she was smiling looking so much like a goddess that he paused for a few seconds to just stare at her.

"Come on, come on! On with the show!" Isabel stated impatiently, but smiling shyly.

Alex smiled down at her, his awkwardness suddenly forgotten, and took a firm hold on his waist band, pushing down until he was touching his ankles. He stood up, and stepped out of his shorts, knowing he was fully erect, but did not give it a second thought. Isabel shifted when she saw his hard erection, and firm body causing her nipples to peek up over the surface. They were hard and Alex thought they looked like two ripe cherries, begging to be touched. Isabel couldn't believe how sculpted Alex was. With clothes on he looked like a tall and trim guy, borderline skinny. With his clothes off, every muscle was defined and toned…her mouth began to water as she admired his pecs and six pack as well as his girth when her eyes trailed down as he stepped into the pool.

Alex savored the warm temperature of the water as he stepped further into the pool and felt Isabel's eyes burning a trail down his body. He liked how the water felt against his hot skin, but quickly closed the distance between him and Isabel making his way through the warm blue liquid. When he reached her he fused his lips to hers without hesitation. Her hands traveled up his chest and around his neck as she pressed herself fully against him, skin to skin, for the first time. Alex's arms wrapped around her waist and his skin ignited when her soft, full body came in contact with his. As there tongues snaked out of each other's mouths, the movement created friction between their bodies. Isabel could feel Alex's hard muscled chest, as well as his stiff erection beginning to nestle between her supple folds. Suddenly his hard cock made contact with her hot center and she pressed up even harder against him. Alex moaned into her mouth when he felt her squeeze him closer and his cock pulsated with wanting to be inside of her. Her nipples were teasing his chest mercilessly and he did not think he could feel more pleasure then he did right at that moment. He found out he was wrong when one of Isabel's hands slithered down his wet body and gently began to stroke his shaft. His mouth left hers and began to passionately kiss her cheek, then her neck and shoulders and finally coming down to her breasts.

"Oh Alex…god yes…." Isabel moaned as Alex took both substantial breasts in his hands and squeezed them gently, followed by licking one nipple in slow circles while he massaged the other with his hand. Isabel was still stroking Alex's hard shaft and began to pull his cock against her, making firm contact with her hot clit as she ground herself against him.

Alex lifted his head from her chest when he felt her increase the pressure on his cock, and shuddered with pleasure. He loved just being between her slick folds, rubbing the head of his cock on her clit. It was even more exciting because she was doing it for him. His mouth found hers again and Isabel brought her arms back up to pull Alex close to her body. Alex stroked Isabel's back up and down and then focused on the curves of her waist. Isabel gripped Alex's back and her hands drifted down to squeeze his ass. The moment broke only slightly when Alex jumped because his ass happened to be very ticklish.

He laughed throatily, and said "Hey, what's good for the goose huh…?" and responded with gripping her ass and squeezing firmly causing Isabel to make a squeaking noise. She was obviously ticklish too…

"Now none of that sir…" she said while taking a hold of his cock again and stroking it more firmly up and down the length of it, making Alex's eyes cloud over in desire once more. Isabel used her free hand to push Alex in the direction of the front left portion of the pool, without stopping her motion, and was met with a flat surface that stood up in the water. It was only a couple of feet high; basically a very large seat. Alex felt the slab behind him and was forced to sit down to avoid falling over. Isabel used the momentum to climb up on her knees straddling him. She let go of his cock and positioned her hot slit right above it, feeling him pressed gently to her center. Alex was kissing her deeply before he brought his mouth down to her chest which was now right in front of his face. He licked and sucked one of her round breasts delicately flicking her nipple with his tongue and savoring the sweetness of her skin. He could feel her folds directly above his cock, brushing it ever so slightly and moaned as his mouth changed to the other nipple sucking hard. His cock was harder than a rock at this point, and he didn't know if he could hold out much longer.

"God I want to be inside of her…" he thought to himself just as Isabel strangled out a moan.

"Alex…please…I need you…inside of me..right now…" she moaned out between pants of breath.

Alex then used both of his hands to cup her face and kiss her ardently, then continued to kiss her as his hands slid down her sides, over her hips and took a hold of them firmly. With his left hand still firmly on her hip, he used his right hand to guide his cock to her entrance. The water surrounding them made this experience all the more potent, and they gasped into each other's mouths as he began to part her folds with his cock, sliding up and down her slit before slipping slightly into her hot entrance. When he reached her barrier, he paused with his last shred of gentleman pride, and looked up into her eyes. He was met with a gaze matching the ferventness of his own and she answered his silent question by slowly lowering herself down his length.

They both moaned in pleasure as Alex was now fully sheathed in Isabel, and he felt his entire body ignite on fire. Isabel thought it strange that the pain she felt was only brief and fleeting. She had one last thought of how the hot water may have had something to do with that, when Alex lifted her up with his strong hands gripping her hips and began a slow rhythm for them. Isabel felt pleasure course through her body with every thrust and sucked in her breath when she felt Alex take one of her hot nipples into his mouth again. Alex gripped Isabel's hips firmly, increasing his pace, feeling pleasure in places he never felt before. Isabel's tight, hot passage was setting his cock on fire and her soft body rubbing his chest and stomach was driving him crazy. He never wanted to let her go now that he knew what this felt like…

"Alex…oh…you are so hard…ugh… you feel so good inside of me." She said as she wantonly pressed her other breast in his face, which he needed no more encouragement to suck happily into his mouth.

"Ugn…oh yes…oh god…" she panted as she felt herself approaching the edge.

Alex moaned deep in his throat as he felt himself approaching the edge as well, and picked up their pace with his hands gripping her hips. His mouth released her breast as his lips sought her mouth and he kissed her deeply while thrusting into her completely. He then swiftly picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to stay sheathed inside of him, as he spun them around placing her bottom on the slab. He still had a hold of her waist and rammed even deeper inside of her at this angle sending them both over the edge with a few adamant thrusts.

"Oh my god…Alex..ugh..ohhhh" Isabel moaned.

"Iz…yes….ohhh" Alex moaned back as they rode through heights of pleasure together.

They held each other tightly until their racing hearts slowed, Alex occasionally placing a gentle kiss on her shoulder and neck.

Mustering up some courage after his fit of passion, Alex hesitantly asked "Are you ok Iz."

Isabel responded with chuckling throatily and pulling back to look him in the eye. "I'm fine Alex." She said with a huge smile. "Better than fine. I love you so much, and I just got to show you in a way I never have before…"

"You can show me again sometime if you want" Alex replied jokingly.

Isabel laughed like tinkling crystal as she softly pushed him away from her. "I'll be sad if it's not in the next half hour!" she said in a sing song voice.

"Oh, your wish is my command my lady…" he replied seductively.

Isabel threw Alex a smile over he shoulder as she walked to the edge of the pool and delicately picked up a cracker from the tray he had brought. She placed it in her mouth and then closed her eyes in pure bliss as the sweet/spicy taste swished against the sides of her tongue.

"Oh Alex this is divine!" What is it? She said through a mouthful.

"That's just your regular Raspberry Cream Cheese spread over butter crackers" he said with a smile.

Isabel smiled and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ok, and some Tabasco for some extra zing!" he said laughing with a shrug as he popped a cracker in his own mouth.

"Alex, since when do you like Tabasco? I think every one of these crackers has some on it!"

"Weeeel, I have kinda been trying more and more things with Tabasco on it to see if I could acquire a taste for it…and guess what…" he said with a sly smile as he swallowed.

"What?" Isabel asked in disbelief.

"I have actually come to love it!" he said with one hand extended out for emphasis while he popped another cracker in his mouth.

"Ah huh….so, you like it in your coffee too now?" she asked skeptically.

"Ok, ok, you got me. I haven't yet acquired THAT taste yet…but I love it on my pancakes!" he said as Isabel smacked him playfully on the chest. Alex then hoisted himself up on the side of the pool with his legs still in the water and grasped the champagne bottle. He undid the wrapping as Isabel smiled at him and munched on another cracker. Pointing the bottle away from them, he eased the cork off and it flew across the room.

"Woah!" Alex yelled, almost falling back in the pool with the force of it causing Isabel to laugh while grasping her sides.

"Hey, you just be glad I didn't fall back in the water, otherwise I might have other ideas…" he stated with mock severity and suggestion.

"Promises, promises" Isabel laughed out and Alex just rolled his eyes and began to pour them each a glass of champagne. He handed the first to Isabel and had the other in his left hand.

"So what do you want to toast to my love?" Alex asked holding his glass slightly higher than chest level.

"I don't know what do you think…" she replied coyly, raising her eyebrows up and down suggestively and finishing with a wink.

"Oook then, 'May we have many nights of fiery passion here on Neweden, and many years of even more for the rest of our lives!'" he said seriously. Then they clinked glasses as they both smiled widely and took a sip.

"Oh this is wonderful Alex, what is it?" Isabel asked while taking another sip of it and licking her lips.

"It's Raspberry Champagne…" he replied.

"I see. Going with a whole raspberry theme tonight are we?"

"He that was YOUR idea." He replied while pointing at her.

"My idea?" she said while dramatically pointing to herself.

"Yes your idea, Ms. 'I'm going to wear the most drop dead gorgeous raspberry colored outfit so I will make Alex cum in his pants' idea." He stated matter of fact.

Isabel almost chocked on her drink and had to spit most of it out, she was laughing so hysterically after that, and Alex just nodded and said "See! See! I knew it!" which made her laugh even harder, until tears were coming out of her eyes.

He then took her glass out of her hand and put both glasses back on the tray.

"For this you must PAY!" he said as he jumped back in the water and chased Isabel to the other side.

"You will pay dearly….." he said under his breath with an eager smile.


	36. Chapter 32

_I'm sorry for the month long wait again. I had major writers block! I have some new ideas though, and so here is a small chapter to hold you over! -Andrea_

**Chapter 32**

Kyle was busy trying to make the hydra work in the common area when Michael tapped him on the shoulder.

"Woah! Dang, you nearly gave me a heart attack Guerin!" he said while breathing heavy and with one hand over his heart.

Michael smirked and replied "I just thought you could use a little help with the Hydra" he said while he waved a hand over the plate to activate it. It whirred to life and Kyle hesitantly spoke.

"Cheeseburger and Fries?" he asked the machine.

"How would you like your meat cooked?" the Hydra replied.

"Um, well done I guess" Kyle replied while scratching his head.

"Request Accepted" it replied and a silver plate appeared with the most delicious looking burger he head ever seen. What looked like a thick slice of cheddar cheese was oozing over the sides and onto the plate and the smell emanating from it made his mouth start to water…

"Wow, I hate to say it Guerin, but this looks way better than that slop you serve at The Crashdown!" he said while bringing the plate to his nose so he could get a close up whiff of its contents. Michael grunted disapprovingly and waved the Hydra to life again so he could put in his own order.

"Cheeseburger, well done, and fries along with a bottle of Tabasco Sauce" he said, and a matching plate appeared along with his choice condiment.

"Copy cat" Kyle said under his breath.

"Ah, not exactly my friend" Michael replied while twisting the cap off of his Tabasco and pouring liberal amounts on the entire contents of his plate.

"Now THIS is way better than Crashdown fare" he said while sinking his teeth into his burger. Kyle was staring at him chew thinking he might never understand Antarian taste buds and Michael thought he might want to try some of his favorite condiment. He offered the open bottle to Kyle, and Kyle held up his hand in protest.

"Ehhh…I think I'll pass on that bro."

"Suit yourself" he replied through a mouthful of burger.

"So, long time no see huh? What's it been…seven days?" Kyle asked through a mouthful of fries.

"I don't know, I haven't really been keeping track of the time of day lately" he said with a big grin on his face. It was kind of unnerving considering Michael's usual impassive, complacent face or signature scowl. He knew if anyone could loosen that guy up, Maria could.

"So, what's your blushing bride up to?" Kyle asked as he took another bite of his burger.

"Oh, she's not blushing anymore" he said pointedly, and Kyle rolled his eyes. "She's with Isabel in our hot steam bath area that is apparently an Antarian staple."

"A hot steam bath area in your room?" Kyle asked with is eyebrows raised. "Sounds kinky..."

"My thoughts exactly…anyway, there is one in all of our rooms at the back of the closet. Tess can show you later I'm sure." He replied with a wink.

"How do you know that Tess will know where it is?" he asked while taking another bite of his burger.

"She was in the hallway when Isabel knocked on our door. Iz called her over, and I think they were going to get Liz before having some 'girl talk' ." he replied while rolling his eyes.

"After this week, I expect they'll be in there for a while" Kyle replied with a chuckle.

"So, how was it Valenti?" Michael asked with a gleam in his eye "Afterall, she is my blood…so she had to have blown your socks off"

"Ughgh Guerin! That's your sister you are talking about man!"

"This place is awesome!" Maria squealed as she stepped into the hot water, her pink bikini letting more of the luscious water come in direct contact with her skin.

Isabel replied with a smile "I know, isn't it?" she replied while sitting on the edge of the pool in a green swimsuit.

"If only I had known about this room earlier…" Tess trailed off as her skin got goose pimples of pleasure.

"Wait…are you blushing Isabel? I never thought I'd see the day…" Liz said with her hands on the hip area of her red suit.

"Oh, I'm glad we are in our steam bath and not yours!" Maria laughed as she pointed at Isabel. Isabel responded by splashing Maria making Maria shriek.

"Ha Ha, now who's laughing!" Iz replied with a big grin while laughing.

"You guys! Can you believe we are actually here?" Liz said blissfully as she allowed the hot water to relax every muscle in her body as she rested against the side of the pool, up to her neck in water.

"I can't believe the past few weeks, but especially not the last one" Maria said, breathing out a sigh of delight as the hot water worked on her own tight muscles and her hair fanned out around her.

"If Neweden is anything like Antar, I think you guys are going to LOVE it here" Isabel said.

"What do you mean?" Tess asked while propping her head up on her hand. She was reclining on the portion of the pool that was only a foot or so deep.

"Well, I remember that practically 80 of things were automated. Like I'm sure you all noticed the nifty mirror in your dressing area that doubles as your personal assistant?" she asked with amusement in her eyes.

Positive answers were heard from everyone.

"Well, that's what I'm talking about. Antar was so technologically advanced that we never even had to literally read a book"  
"Well then how did you guys learn?" Liz asked in disbelief. Leave it to their resident genius to worry about their method of learning.

"We used a device called a fordar."

"Mmmm…okay, what the heck is that?" Maria asked.

"It was a headband that had these tiny metal arms that extended out from the headband at ear level and folded forward to rest in front of our eyes. When you pressed a button located at the base of the right side of the headband, it turned on and you were suddenly in VR."

"Huh?" Tess asked.

"It was a type of Virtual Reality"

"I see you guys are probably eating your first real meal in days huh?" Alex said walking up to the common area with Max beside him.

"I don't know about you Whitman, but I did find time to EAT this past week." Kyle replied with a wink.

Alex blushed and waved his hand over the plate at the Hydra.

"Hey, maybe he did eat…just not a man's meal!" Michael replied to Alex's obvious knowledge of how the Hydra worked.

"I was a little busy to be concerned with grease" Alex replied as he sat at the table, holding an extra long chili dog and onion rings.

"More like Iz didn't want to taste onion breath" Max said as he ordered his meal along with four cherry cokes. He then walked to the table and slid into the seat next to Michael. Everyone thanked him for remembering to order drinks.

"Gah, look at us. We get away from earth and can try our own home cuisine and still we are eating Crashdown fare." Max said with a chuckle.

"Wait till you taste your burger Max, it's a tiny bit better than home." Michael said as he handed Max the bottle of Tabasco to add some to his dish.

"So Max" Michael said as he elbowed his friend in the ribs. "How was it?"

Special Agent Marx walked briskly down the white house main hallway as he checked his watch to make sure he was on time. He took a corner to fast and almost collided with a young intern and stiffly apologized before continuing on his way. After years of keeping this knowledge to himself, it was finally necessary to tell the President of the United States. He felt his heartbeat quicken at what the President's reaction would be. He'd probably think he was a raving lunatic. It didn't matter. Whatever he had to do to prove it to him, Special Agent Marx knew he'd do it. He had to make the President believe him. A portal had been opened…


End file.
